


Smothered Flames

by IcyRain_Hollows



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Crossover, Depressed Todoroki Shouto, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Midoriya has a Sylveon and Roselia, Pokemon AU, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Todoroki has two Ninetales
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-05-30 15:19:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15099506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyRain_Hollows/pseuds/IcyRain_Hollows
Summary: Everyone is given a given a Pokemon in pre-school, and what Pokemon one received depended on what their quirk was.Midoriya didn't have a quirk, so he obtained an Eevee due to their adaptability. And all he wanted to do was improve the lives of others and make them happy. That's what he learned from All Might, and he was also quirkless.





	1. Segment One

**Author's Note:**

> First piece for this fandom, so I hope you enjoy while I'll still getting used to the characters.

_Shivering. It a warning, one that he largely ignored. The numbness in his right hand, it commonly traveled all the way up to his shoulder before he took notice or even cared to do anything about it. Logically, he knew it wasn't healthy. To practically let the blood freeze in his hand, and grow slower throughout his entire right, was the furtherest thing from okay. Yet, he did it anyway. He was more comfortable with ice nipping at his skin. It was blanket that he could coat himself in and feel at ease, despite the negative toll it'd have in the long run._

* * *

  
When people begin pre-school, their quirks begin to develop. This is the time for observation and placement, not for what class the students went in or how they got along, but what Pokemon they obtained as their first companion. It was largely decided based on the quirk an individual had. For example, a child that showed signs of moving or creating water were likely to obtain some sort of water type Pokemon. 

This rule didn't apply to everyone though, some students would receive a Pokemon passed down from their parents, and students who hadn't developed a quirk at the same time as everyone else would receive an Eevee since its evolutions stayed in line with common late-bloomed quirks. Even those that remained quirkless, they at least had an Eevee. Though they were forbidden from evolving it using stones or purposely seeking out areas for evolution.

Midoriya Izuku was a kid without a quirk, therefore the first Pokemon he'd ever obtained was an Eevee. At a young age, he was disappointed that he hadn't developed a quirk, but was beyond excited for his new companion knowing that it can still be special to him.

Other people he knew, like Bakugou, had more specific Pokemon given to them. The rarity of a Pokemon wasn't considered when giving them to children, though kids loved to brag if their first was considered rare. Ones that were considered rare, where any Pokemon that were rarely found in the wild, had a low capture rate, or only found in very specific regions. Therefore, when Bakugou received a Cyndaquil, he bragged about it. 

Pokemon like Cyndaquil, Rowlet, Bulbasaur, and whatnot were considered Starters because people's primary chance of obtaining them were when they first developed their quirk. If someone obtained one later on in-life, it was most likely from family or a breeder (though there were very strict regulations that went into breeding Pokemon, that many don't bother).

It made it difficult for Midoriya; he had so much love for his Eevee, even nicknamed it Mighty, but hardy anyone cared to acknowledge him since the very fact he had an Eevee meant he was quirkless. There were many things he heard: How can bond with that thing? Isn't Eevee only good when it evolves? Does that mean you're both useless?

And many, many other questions phrased in similar negative ways. It never really bothered him though, Mighty seemed happy and enjoyed to play and be at Midoriya's side so..did it matter if he had an Eevee? Yeah, he was upset that he didn't have a quirk. Upset, perhaps was a lighter word since he was completely devastated, but he didn't love his Pokemon any-less. 

All the negativity actually served as inspiration, and by the end of elementary, he decided he wanted all his Pokemon to be those he has saved and earned their trust rather than going out and seeking for which particular ones he wanted.

* * *

  
By the time High school came round, people had about two or three Pokemon. The one that they first received as kids were generally at secondary or third evolutions depending on whether or not it had specific evolutionary needs. Midoriya and Mighty, who had evolved into a Sylveon, were entering their first class of the year together.

  
High Schools permitted one Pokemon to be present with a student for as long as the creature was of good health, met certain criteria, and was approved before the school year began. This prevented Pokemon that were unstable or dangerous from wondering around and being hazardous. Therefore, Slugma, Goomy, and most ghost type Pokemon weren't allowed anywhere on school grounds other than the training fields.

In younger grades, Pokemon were only ever to be on the fields because to elementary and middle school kids, they were a distraction. Not to mention that the unpredictable actions of young kids and pre-teens proved for some messy outcomes.

Thankfully, Mighty was permitted to stay at his side, commonly riding on his shoulder or nesting promptly on/in his curly wild locks of hair. Sylveon wasn't a common Pokemon, rather rare in fact. It was more common for an Eevee to evolve into an Espeon or Umbreon for those that never recieved a quirk of their own. It was also common for people to mistake the fairy Pokemon as a girl, and with a name like Mighty, it left many people confused.

He currently had one other Pokemon besides his gifted one, and it was a Roselia. This thorny creature was one he originally found as a Budew hiding in the flower pot outside his house one night. At the time it was frightened, it seemed terrified of the dark. He hadn't bothered to ask his mom permission first before bringing the small fellow inside and to his room. He turned on a lamp for it and allowed to spend the night sharing his room.

In the morning when the Budew hadn't left, he knew that this would be the next addition to his team and he couldn't have been more happy to accept his knew plant friend. It was later named Thorn-Bud, which to some people sounded just as silly as Mighty, but he had meaning and purpose behind the given names and he was content with them. Plus, if neither of his Pokemon were bothered by it, why should he?

 

 

The school day itself wasn't the highlight of being in high school. Actually, once students went to high school they were permitted to travel alone. There were plenty of unsafe areas, wild Pokemon can be just as unpredictable as young children so it was for everyone's best interest to have regulations in regard to passing through certain areas.

There were parts in History that told what it was like before rules and regulations occurs, children would commonly go missing in the woods, a few stories of kids standing near lakes and suddenly being gone without a trace. These happenings made for plenty of stories for the origin of ghost Pokemon. They were always considered uneasy or nerve racking to be around, Midoriya couldn't imagine what it would be like to come face-to-face with one. 

He knew that by going into these areas, he's of higher risk of meeting them. And although terrifying, he was kind of excited. The thoughts of meeting new Pokemon and trainers alike stayed on his mind the entire day, he didn't let it distract himself too much from learning. Okay, maybe just a little bit, but otherwise he was focused.

 

 

Summer was still in the air, warmth radiating, plants lively, and people busied around all over the place despite the beginning of the new academic year. The first thing he didn't expect to see was a Ninetales, and not just any regular one, but one that is only found in Hawaii. The Pokemon stood tall, the sunlight causing its cool silver fur to shimmer. Its tails were tipped with little curls that were free to dance around even to the smallest amounts of wind, and around its neck (although mostly hidden under fur) was a collar.

He didn't see any trainer attending the side of the fox, so he slowly made his way over. Mighty took interest, tilting his head as he rode on the back of his trainer. "Hello," he said softly, gathering the fox's attention, "where is your trainer?" It obviously belonged to someone if it had a collar.

Ninetales made a head gesture toward a direction, displaying that they were standing there in wait. Midoriya understand that, "may I see your collar?" He didn't want to touch the Pokemon if it hadn't wanted to be, but the icy fox didn't seem to have a problem with it. 

In fact, they even leaned forward in Midoriya's direction, almost encouraging him to look. He smiled wide as he examined the collar, more specifically at the name tag.  
_Miyuki_ , on the other side was another name. _Shouto Todoroki_ followed with a small series of numbers.

"You're Todoroki's Pokemon?" He practically beamed, he followed the worlds top Pokemon trainers so he was very aware that Endeavor had a son but he had never seen the boy with his Pokemon at his side. Then again, Todoroki was only ever seen being accompanied by his father. "That's so cool Miyuki, I'm Midoriya and this here is my partner Mighty."

It probably looked strange to those walking by, seeing a plain boy with overly fluffy green hair passionately talking to a Ninetales as though it was holding a verbal conversation with him. The act didn't bother Miyuki at all though, their focus staying on the boy in front of them, ears ever so often flicked to show the boy he had their attention.

Midoriya was talking about his own relationship with Pokemon, and how excited he was the day Mighty evolved into a Sylveon since he knew that meant they had a very special bond. Not that he doubted it, he always knew, but now everyone who saw him with Mighty knew how strong their bond truly was. 

It even seemed like Mighty took part of their conversation, making noises at the Ninetales who responded in kind. This was beyond fascinating for young Midoriya, not only was it his first encounter with a Ninetales, but with such luck, it was an Hawaiian one. That meant the likelihood of meeting another was extremely rare. He nearly forgot to take out his journal and take note of the Pokemon in front of him. He even had the time to draw Miyuki in full detail since they were so still and not going anywhere.

Most people would have just taken pictures, but that didn't nearly feel as personal to Midoriya. To draw the Pokemon from life, then add notes beside it based on his interactions was much more meaningful to him.

Before he knew it, he had spent his first full day after school with Todoroki's Ninetales. He felt bad leaving Miyuki alone in wait, but he had to return home. His mother would get worried if he wasn't back by dinner. He bid a goodbye to the Pokemon before heading home, hoping that their trainer would arrive for them soon. It kind of worried him how long they were waiting.

* * *

  
The next few days he found Miyuki in the same location, at first he drew a lot of concern from it. Afraid that the Pokemon may have been abondoned, but when he asked about the their trainer, the fox's tails would start to sway in a gentle yet happy motion. It made him wonder if it was an arrangement of some sort; he couldn't think of what this possible arrangment might be.

Using the number on the tag, he sent a text in regards to Miyuki. What he recieved felt almost automated, as though this wasn't the first time someone had messaged him about this.

  
_"Thank you for sharing your concerns about Miyuki, but there is no need to worry. We allow our Pokemon time to explore at their own leisure while we are busy with work."_

  
_\- Todoroki Shouto_

  
The formality didn't feel right and the use of the word we made it far more strange, but when he attempted to text again with other concerns there was no response. It made Midoriya anxious, thinking of possible tragedies like: What if your Pokemon get sick? What if they got stuck in a tough battle? What happens if someone were to try and kidnap them?

He hardly realized he was muttering out loud to himself until Mighty did a little tug at his hair, nothing painful, just a little act to drag him out of his rambling thoughts.

* * *

  
It turned into a routine, meeting up with Miyuki and even encouraging the fox to train and go Pokemon watching with them. Mighty and Miyuki got along very well, they'd play fight despite their size different, indulge in games of fetch or little challengers he had set up for them, and they would even share food together. Of course, he'd let Thorn-Bud in on the fun too, it hardly seemed fair to let Mighty have the Ninetales all to himself.

On those types of days, he'd sit on the bench or perhaps under a tree while doing his homework or studying. It was a great way for his Pokemon to get fresh air and unwind without him having to focus on them too much. Though, he'd look up ever so often to see how they were doing, just to check up on them. If he wasn't working on anything school related, he'd be drawing the small trio of Pokemon.

Other days that consisted of Pokemon watching, he'd have his journal out the entire time. He and his group seeking out any and all wild Pokemon, one's he hadn't met were of primary focus, but he didn't mind re-meeting a certain species since the likelihood of running into the same exact creature was highly unlikely. This, however, didn't come without the occasional dangers of wild Pokemon that'd try to attack them or got aggravated with their presence or were perhaps too close for comfort. But, at the end of the day, they always made it out with little to no damage.

Then there were the days that consisted of training. It was split into different segments, one day would be for strategies, another would be for stamina, and so on. Midoriya would even have scrimmages against Miyuki, not only to build his own team's strength, but the Ninetales' too. And without a trainer, it pushed for the fox to become a free thinker and make its own battling choices. Really, it was a benefit for all of them.

* * *

  
Sometimes, no. Constantly, Midoriya was thankful to work with such an amazing and nice Pokemon. It made him wonder what kind of a person Todoroki was in person, there was little to know about him. According to the recorded segments of Endeavor, the boy had private schooling and was dedicated to training. Other than that, he hardly seemed to exist as anything more than the son of a great Pokemon champion.

Despite the limited or lack of reply, he attempted to reach out to him through the same number he found on Miyuki's tag. He started to take pictures along side drawing, sending them so that Todoroki got to see how his Ninetales was doing. He also started to send little thank yous' out of gratitude. It might not have been his Pokemon, but Miyuki had really bonded with him, he couldn't sit there and not thank the man for letting his Pokemon out.

One day however, during the weekend when Miyuki wasn't around as much and very late at night, he text a simple _hello_. He didn't expect anything wonderful out of it, not quite sure why he did it to begin with. But boy, was he glad that he did because after a few minutes his phone pinged.

**Hello.**

It was the simplest word in the entire world, and it made Midoriya's face light up as though he'd never recieved the kindness of being greeted.

 **How are you?**  
He decided to keep it simple, hoping that he'd get further than just a greeting.

**I'm fine. You?**

**Good! Thanks for asking! How's Miyuki doing?**

**He is fine.**

**That's good to hear! Well..read. I suppose I should leave you alone for the night. It was wonderful chatting with you! Please let Miyuki good night for me!**

There wasn't a response after that, or at least, there wasn't one for a solid twenty-two minutes until Midoriya recieved an image of Miyuki. The fox was very close to the camera; they took up the entire frame and looked as though he were booping his nose off the phone lens. 

* * *

  
Midoriya soon realized that the only times Todoroki responded were on weekends between midnight and one in the morning. It wasn't a very long range of time, and he could hardly get past the basics. Todoroki's responses were very slow as though typing each letter took an entire minute to press, not to mention that they were always short. No more than three or five words. He did not question it too much. Afterall, it was very late and the other was probably tired and drifting to sleep with each passing second.

**What's your name?**

They've had a few conversations by now, and he never realized that he never gave his name. It must've seemed creepy, some random stranger sending him greetings, pictures, thank yous and rants about his Pokemon. No wonder he hardly answered, it was probably uncomfortable.

**Izuku Midoriya. I am so sorry I hadn't introduced myself sooner! It must've been weird receiving texts from an unknown number all the time. I promise I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable or anything. I just really wanted to express how amazing Miyuki is!**

**Relax. It's fine.**

**Are you sure? The last thing I want to do is upset you.**

**I'm sure. Good night, Midoriya.**

That was the first time he'd ever gotten a question, and a good night to follow that? He was amazed. 

* * *

  
By the end of the first semester, Midoriya was leading a couple of his friends to the spot he met up with the Ninetales. "You'll love Miyuki, he's such a big sweetheart and gets along so with Mighty. I'm sure I've told you two how we found a Noctowl one evening, it was really cool too because it didn't fly away from us immedately and," he had been rambling the entire time they walked to their destination. Mighty resting in his fluffy green hair cared little to stop him, he was too excited to share his experience with his friends anyway.

Once they arrived, the boy was instantly met with the icy fox gently rubbing his head against his hand. It made the smile on Midoriya's face get wider, if there were even possible. He knelt down a little and started to fluff the thick white fur. He hadn't realized that Miyuki was actually trying to gave him something, but the Pokemon enjoyed the affection anyway before pushing its face at the boy's hands to give him a small gift.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Uraraka was one of the friends he had brought, "he must really like you, Deku!" She knelt down as well, excitedly petting the really fluffy Ninetales. Her hand was basically buried under all of the fur.

"It is very interesting how well bonded you are with another trainer's Pokemon, Midoriya. I can't say I've seen another's Pokemon gift something to someone that wasn't their own trainer. It's fascinating." Iida said aloud, truly intrigued.

While they were petting the icy creature, Midoriya was focused on the gift. There was a little note attached to the outside of the wrapping:

_"Thank you._  
_You've been making Miyuki's day happier while I'm busy. Please accept this gift, he picked it out himself."_

_-Todoroki Shouto_

He hadn't even opened the gift yet and his eyes were becoming blurry with tears. Carefully, he peeled away the wrapping to reveal a very expensive looking new journal. Miyuki must've noticed he was running out of pages of his current one. That's when he lost it, hot tears spilling down his face. He was just so happy, for all of this. Miyuki was such a good friend to him and his Pokemon, and the fact that Todoroki was willing to buy him such an expensive journal, he really couldn't contain himself. 

Mighty had to use his ribbons to rid his trainer's face of his tears, nuzzling against his head in gentle affections as he expressed his happiness.  
Once he pulled himself back together, he hugged the fox. Soon following that he sent out to do what he planned, and that was to spend a day with his two closest friends and their group of Pokemon.

* * *

  
**I can't believe you bought such an expensive journal!**

It was the weekend, and right after texting hello, he practically spilled some still lingering happiness.

 **I would've been happy with nothing, honestly, you really didn't have to do this.**

**Miyuki wanted to.**

**But you're the one that went through and bought it! Don't you know how sweet that is? You didn't have to do it.**

**I know I didn't have to.**

**We should totally meet up one day. I bet you are an amazing person. You have such a wonderful Pokemon.**

**Stop.**

The word stop staring at him made him panic. Had he said something wrong? Perhaps he was too energetic for a late night messages, or maybe he found this creepy? They still hardly knew each other after all.

**I'm so sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?**

**If you really want to meet, you'll have to wait until next weekend.**

**Really?! When? Where? Should I bring anything with me?**

**Where you meet Miyuki. At sun down.**

Those felt like two of the longest sentences he had ever recieved from Todoroki. He was surprised, a little confused, but beyond excited that he was finally going to meet Miyuki's owner. He had seen Todoroki beside his father on TV, and a few times in articles, but the fact that he got to meet him in person made it all the more thrilling. 

**Great! See you then!**

**Good night, Midoriya.**

* * *

  
The week leading up was eventful, or perhaps he was just so excited that everything felt better than it usually did. Throughout the days leading up, Midoriya brought his friends along with them. What an excellent idea it was too, they could all study together, going seeking through the woods or caves in search of different Pokemon, and they could battle each other to improve.

Uraraka had a Drifblim, it was her first Pokemon that she had evolved from a Drifloon. It had such a cute name, Floatie. Her other Pokemon was a Hoppip, it didn't seem too much of a fighter, but it certainly loved to play. She named it Cotton, looking forward to one day having a Jumpluff.

As for Iida, his starting companion was a Skarmory. It was a Pokemon that was breed in the family line and passed down from one generation to the next. Its name is Platinum. As for his other team member, a Bisharp, who was named Hyousuke.

On Friday, Uraraka brought Asui and Tokoyami. That added four new Pokemon to their group, Frogadier and Sealeo were Asui's team, and Honchkrow and Zorua were Tokoyami's team. It was of no surprise that the illusion Pokemon decided to take the appearance of the Ninetales. 

Midoriya assumed that the Ninetales must've never quite seen its own kind before, or perhaps never seen another Pokemon do that for that Miyuki looked shocked, confused, and strangely hesitant. It was as though the fox's entire body stiffened then prepared itself for..an attack maybe? They weren't training right now, just messing around, so that hadn't made much sense to him.

* * *

  
Saturday come round, and sitting on the bench was a sleeping Midoriya with Miyuki partially resting on his lap, Thorn-Bud learning against his one side, and Mighty comfortably draped over the shoulders of his owner. It was meant to be a comfortable little wait until Todoroki arrived, but it somehow managed to all of them taking a nap outside.

When the sound of footsteps first catch Miyuki's attention, he was slow to wake up at first. Aware of the others around him, but was also eager to return to the side of his trainer. As close as they were, he was able to identify Todoroki solely based on the sound of his footsteps. The fox gently nudged his face against the freckled boy's cheek before giving him a few ticklish licks in an attempt to gently wake him up.

It worked. A small sleepy giggle left Midoriya's lips as his eyes slowly fluttered open. When he took notice of the Ninetales licking his cheek, he smiled, giving him a few pets before rubbing his eyes and adjusting to just how dark it was outside. There were street lamps of course, but somehow it was easier to compare the lights to the stark darkness. That was until his eyes landed on another male with hair that was practically as bright as the lights due to the whiteness on the one side.  
Once Miyuki was sure the other was fully awake, he got up from the bench and quickly made his way to Todoroki, meeting his head into his hand in a silent request to be pet.

It was a slow and stiff reaction, Todoroki running his fingers through the silvery mane that belonged to his Pokemon. Only for a few moments before making his way to sit on the available space on the bench. He hadn't said anything yet, but he knew he was aknowledged by the way Midoriya had examined him in fascination.  
"Hi! It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" This wasn't as formal of a first meeting as he imagined. He was greatful that the other finally took the time out of his busy schedule to meet in person. He would've respectively did a bow in greeting if one: he weren't already sitting, and two: he had Mighty on his shoulder. So instead he offered a hand shake.

There was no reaction at first, but hesitantly Todoroki accepted his hand, giving it a firm shake. The temperature of his hand was freezing, it made the green-haired body shiver through his entire body as though ice were dumped down the back of his shirt. "C-cold!" He couldn't keep himself from spitting out in shock.  
Their hands disconnected, the half and half male tucked his shivering hand into the pocket of his hoodie. "Sorry." It sounded automatic; he must have been used to others considering him cold to the touch.

"N-no, no, don't be sorry. I was just taken by surprise." He said quickly, smiling a little nervously at the other. He figured if he continued their conversation like they did over the phone, it wouldn't be so awkward. "So, how are you today?"

"I'm fine." Another automated like response. "How are you?"

"I am wonderful! I am so excited you agreed to finally meet me; I know you must be busy if Miyuki is outside nearly everyday of the week." When he recieved nothing more than an acknowledged hum, he tilted his head ever so slightly. "I saw Endeavor's latest challenger, it must be so cool to have such a powerful father! Nearly every challenger he takes on fails to beat him, and his bond with Incineroar is incredible, he doesn't even have to verbally give commands!"

It made Todoroki visibly flinch at the mention of his father, the hand that was already cold before now covered in a coat of ice. Thankfully, his hand was in his pocket, so Midoriya didn't have to witness it. He simply had to pretend that he didn't flinch. "Yeah."

Of course Midoriya witnessed it, he was looking at him as he spoke. "Are you okay? Are you cold?" He didn't know it had anything to do with what he said, but he felt that was logical seeing that when they shook hands his skin felt like ice. "We could go somewhere else, I know it is late, but there are a few nice shops still open that we could go to."

There were always shops and places open at night, travelers needed places to stay or relax. And those that were more of night travelers also brought common business.

"Relax. It's okay. I..like it outside better." Part of that sounded something other than automatic, though there was little to find in it. It was rather confusing actually, that Todoroki seemed similar to how he text. He thought that perhaps it was just the very late timing. 

But here they were, living a conversation they'd typically have over the phone. This was Miyuki's trainer, usually there are similarities between Pokemon and trainer. Miyuki was gentle, affectionate, and playful in their free time. Maybe sometimes confused, but other than that, seemed pretty confident. In training, Miyuki stood his ground, was powerful and fast.

Todoroki was quiet, hesitant and formal. He didn't know much about how he fought, he had never seen it nor had Endeavor ever mentioned it in interviews other than, he still has a lot of training to do.

"Okay," he didn't want to pry or get too personal, "then what would you like to talk about? I don't know how long you planned to spent out here, but it'd be nice to get to know you a bit more." He offered a sweet smile, he had different smiles and had ever intention of making each one appear with a clear message.

Todoroki had to think, he did not really interact with many people. He simply saw it as an excuse not to be home. "Tell me about your Pokemon." 

Midoriya beamed, and Mighty finally moved from his shoulders and onto his lap as though to present himself. "This is Mighty! As you can see he's a Sylveon. I never developed a quirk, so in pre-school I was given an Eevee. I always had hoped I would one day develop a quirk, but even if I did today, I wouldn't trade Mighty for anything. He's far to important to me, he always has been even if others were skeptical about it. And you know what, I don't care if people think of Mighty and I as lesser, because All Might was once in my position too. Born without a quirk, had his Eevee evolve into a Sylveon, and became the worlds strongest Pokemon champion!" He eyes sparkled as he happily said each word with every ounce of emotion. He made it very obvious his passion for his Pokemon and All Might. "It is why I want my team to be Pokemon that I can save, they'll trust me and our bond will be much stronger. That's what I believe. That's how I got Thorn-Bud. I found him as a Budew. He was scared of the dark, hiding in a flower pot outside my house, I brought him inside. Been by my side every since! What about your Pokemon?"

"Miyuki was a gift from my mother. My father gave me a Ninetales as well so that I could have a fire and ice duo." Todoroki replied, as he did so his Ninetales went over to him, resting his head on his lap. He couldn't compare to the energy or passion Midoriya had.

"You have another Ninetales? That's amazing! How come I don't see him around?"

"He prefers to stay closer to home." He lied, not that the other could really tell.

"That makes sense. Oh, what is your quirk?"

"Ice." Another lie. But he didn't care, he wanted nothing to do with his father. That other Ninetales was included.

"Really?" Midoriya blinked in surprise, "I would've thought you had some fire related quirk. Maybe not exactly fire, but something close to it. That would explain why you were so cold though."

"My mom had an ice quirk."

After hearing that, it made sense to Midoriya why he'd also have an ice-related ability. "I never knew that. I mean..I know Endeavor got married, but he mentioned what his wife could do. She was never shown or spoken about at all really..." He was rambling, leaving his train of thought fall from his mouth.

It made Todoroki flinch again, his jerked movement halted the freckled boy's train. "Ah, are you sure you're okay?" He may hardly know him, but that didn't make him any less concerned.

"Yeah." He answered, "we both should head home. It's getting very late."

Something was telling Midoriya that he wasn't okay, that there was something bothering him but again, he didn't want to pry and get into his personal business.

"You're right. Would you be willing to meet up again tomorrow? Or maybe next weekend? I don't mind if its the same time. If you don't want to though, it is okay."

Todoroki looked from Midoriya then to Miyuki whose tails were swaying, he knew what he wanted. "I think Miyuki wants me too. Tomorrow it is. Same time." The fox removed his hand from his owner's lap, allowing the half-white and half-red haired boy to stand. "Good night, Midoriya." He gave a small gestured wave good-bye with the hand that wasn't frozen. 

Miyuki gave the green-haired boy a little nudge good night before hurrying to Todoroki's side, walking home.

* * *

As agreed upon, they met up at the same spot at the same time. This time Midoriya had brought food for them, "Hi!" He said enthusiastically, receiving a hello in turn though it much more soft-spoken and automatic. "I don't know if you'd want any, but when I told my mom I'd be meeting up with you again, she insisted that I bring food for us to share. She even made treats for our Pokemon."

He had two different boxes carrying said snacks, "For our Pokemon, we have poffins in a variety of flavors. And for us, we have melonpan. I think she said they were filled with whipped cream and chocolate chips." He said the last sentence as more of a mutter, "Anyway, feel free to have some!" 

As they sat on the bench, he put the boxes in between so it was within both their reach. There was still warmth lingering through the thin cardboard box.

"How was your day?" 

"Fine. What about yours?"

"It was good, my friend Iida and I went for a run early this morning, I did a bit of studying and some standard exercise, Mighty and I watched All Might's match on TV, and I helped my mom bake the treats that she insisted I bring. Well, I did other things as too. I ran into a Staryu while on that morning run, sadly I didn't bring my journal so I didn't get to document directly from life. I also took notes while watching All Might's Sylveon in battle," and his rambling continued.

Generally Mighty would've snapped him out of it, but the Pokemon was back at home getting his fur groomed while also providing company for his mom. She had her own Pokemon, a Munna. It was common for people with quirks that can move items without touching them to receive a psychic type Pokemon. On the bright side, it was excellent if anyone in the house had nightmares for that Munna could eat them and none of them would have to remember those dreams ever happened.  
"You're a big fan of All Might." Todoroki eventually cut off the rambling with an obvious statement. "Ever meet him in person?"

The question made Midoriya blink, as though collecting his split train of thought to use for later conversation before responding. "Never in person, well unless going to stadiums count, but I never actually met him. Those invitations are extremely hard to get since they go to other gym leaders and champions first, then if they want to bring anyone along," as he rambled another thought came to mind, "you must have met him, huh? Your father, does he get you an invitation?" He recieved a nod.

"That's so cool! What's All Might like?"

"Friendly. The way he acts on television is how he acts around everyone; it's nice to know he isn't fake when a camera is on him." He paused, thinking of what else to add. Just as Midoriya was going to comment, he continued. "He wants to have more public events. Apparently with using a stadium comes with a lot of restrictions."

"I would imagine, it's disappointing but I understand that the people who run those stadiums have to make a profit since the battles can quite literally destroy part of the venue and what better way to make money than featuring a champion." 

Todoroki hummed in acknowledgement, "I think you two would get along well."

That made the freckled boy grin wide, "You really think? I know I tend to ramble, and I currently only have two Pokemon but," he stopped himself, "and I almost rambled again. Sorry about that." He said with a nervous chuckle immediately following. "I don't know if I'll ever meet him in person though, maybe one day when I get strong enough to challenge him myself. It'd be cool to talk to him before that though. How many times have you spoken with him?"

"Relatively often. Since..you know." He didn't have to explain it, Midoriya already knew why and how. He listened to the other respond while deciding to open the box of melonpan and take one. Treats weren't common place, and for as long as his father around, he could indulge. Slowly eating while he listened.

Midoriya, since they were on the topic of All Might, was talking about what he admired about the man and how cool the man's Pokemon were. Like Midoriya, All Might's partner Pokemon was a Sylveon, though it had a different coloration compared to a normal one. Shimura was the name of his Sylveon, and he admitted to naming it after an old Champion he admired growing up. The rest of his team was composed of a Kommo-o, Machamp, Pyroar, Braviary and Crawdaunt.

"-in his early days people didn't take him seriously taking a Sylveon out and onto the field," Todoroki had no idea how long the other had been talking, but he was listening. After all, he looked up to All Might too, though he never admitted to it. His father would probably snap at him and tell him that he lets him talk to All Might and watch his battles in order to surpass him, not befriend him. Endeavor believed that since Shouto was young, it'd be easy for him to get to know his enemies and pin-point all their weaknesses. Whether it be in actual battle, or their morality. 

Suddenly Midoriya had presented him with a question, "Who is your favorite champion?" 

"I don't have a favorite."

"Really?" He responded in such shock that he made it appear that his world views changed, "Do you have any that you like?"

He nodded, "I like a few champions, just..don't have a favorite."

"Can you tell me a top three? Maybe five?"

"Hm. I suppose Crimson Riot, Eraser Head and All Might."

"Wow, you know Eraser Head? I always feel like people forget about him because he doesn't allow for his battles to be recorded like other champions. Did you get to meet him too?" Another nod. "That's amazing! Do you ever get to work with them?"

"Twice. Once with Eraser Head, and once with Cementoss." 

Midoriya's face was filled with awe, he couldn't even manage to form words. It was one thing meeting them, but to actually work with them and train with them? He was completely amazed.

During their conversation, both of them had failed to notice MiyukI shoving his head into the box of poffins. Thorn-Bud had let himself out of his Pokemon, he did that sometimes when he knew his trainer wasn't busy. The fox would pick a poffin out of the box and toss it to the plant to see if he'd catch it in his mouth or not.

How their trainers didn't notice why beyond them. Though, Miyuki was pretty sure Todoroki noticed, but was simply keeping quiet.

"It's getting late." The dual-haired man stated after a while of Midoriya just staring off into space with astonishment. His voice seemed to bring him back into reality. 

"Right, right. Would you like to meet again next week? Oh, and please take the melonpan with you, I'm sure my mom would prefer that you have it."

"I have to see. Ask again on Wednesday, I should be able to give you an answer by then." He said, getting up and picking up the box still basically full of melonpan. He hadn't seen Midoriya touch any, guess he was too busy talking. He was going to take the now empty box that used to be filled with poffins too, so that he could throw it away. But the smaller male insisted he'd take care of disposing it. He didn't argue.

"Good night, Midoriya." Without waiting for a further reply, he started home. Miyuki followed close behind him.

He ended up tossing the melonpan into lake on his way home and watched for a moment as Magikarp and other small water Pokemon quickly picked away at the food. He couldn't bring it home, even if he wanted too. And Miyuki already had nearly half a box or more worth of poffins, so this was his solution. After that he promptly tossed the empty box in a public trash can before completely his trip home.


	2. Segment Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Todoroki has issues, but he's still a kind boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, Todoroki has bad coping habits and has low self-worth.

Part of his body was always cold, even before he abilities developed. The future, it was hyped up for him. His father would talk so fondly about how powerful he believed his son would become some day, and as a very little kid, Shouto shared in that excitement. That was until his quirk actually arrived, half ice and half fire. A perfect split down the middle, one side belonged to his mom, and the other belonged to his father.

He was gifted two Pokemon; one was ice, and the other one was fire. They were both vulpixes: Miyuki and Kosuke.

What was awaiting him, he couldn't handle then. Even in the present, he could barely handle it. Training began rough, and without mercy. Not only for himself, but his Pokemon too. It left him trembling and terribly sick, that he could barely move the next day. At least he wasn't alone though. On the foot of his bed were his new companions, probably suffering just as much as he was. Not that he would know, he could barely move and he didn't want to either.

At first, he thought maybe it was only for that one day. In comic books the heroes would endure pain their first time round, they had to learn after all. So, he hoped it was like that and that his father was simply showing him how hard it would be and what he had to over come.

Oh, how wrong he was. Somehow, as insane was it may sound, it got worse. He'd get hit so hard in the stomach that he'd vomit, but they continued to train. He dry heaved sometimes, struggling to breath as his still developing quirk would cause huffs of burnt smoke to leave his lungs. It was as though there was a fire growing inside of him and all he could do was cough up were the charred ashes and dark gray smoke.

As time passed, this treatment continued despite what his mother would argue, and soon enough anything that resembled fire, felt unnatural hot, or was loud and booming, would cause him great discomfort. It made life difficult. Sometimes, it would be hard to will himself outside on his own. The sun felt like looming pressure from his father constantly watching and shadowing his every move. Thunder felt like nature was screaming at him to do something productive, even if it was the dead of night. And forget taking steaming hot showers, it didn't matter if logically he knew it was steam, it made it difficult to breath and mentally related it to smoke.

In all honestly, he didn't mean to, but he became afraid and uncomfortable around his own Pokemon. Kosuke was fire, he was from his father, and he was always ready to attack even when he looked calm. It resorted to Todoroki hiding him away in a Poke-Ball, only to let him free for training and basic needs such as food, water, etc. This was the only solution the young boy came up with, he had no idea how to deal with it.

That left Miyuki to keep him company. There might have been so much fur, but Miyuki radiated a cool temperature that Todoroki could find comfort in. It was the same sort of comfort his mother provided for him. When bruises or burns felt hot, his mother's cold hands and embraces helped ease the pain. His Vulpix learned to do the same when his mother could not, and would cuddle up to him while he slept.

Summer heat and nightmares were never a good blend, even with an air conditioner. It all became too much when his mother was gone, like he suddenly became hyper-aware of every temperature change, even ones that were slight. That was when he started to freeze himself in his sleep.

It was an accident at first, the combined chill of both the air conditioner and Miyuki wasn't enough, and his powers actives on their own to cool him down. It happened two more times before Todoroki understood that he can use his quirk in his sleep. That's when it became purposeful, and it started off as an aid for his sleeping. What started off as frost, thickened into a thin layer of ice.

That made him begin to shiver, but through out the night it'd return to being just frost. He didn't quite have the energy to allow his body to shiver all night long and keep the ice at an even level. But as he continued to do, the easier it became to handle the cold. Eventually a thin layer layer of ice on his arm expanded to consume half his body, not only that but the ice could linger longer.

It became a horrible habit, where he tried to get his entire body so cold that he felt numb. The nipping of the icy atmosphere threatening to freeze his blood, but it never got to that point. Even when the ice felt at though it were burning, he proceeded to do it. The sensation of burning with ice was different from fire. Ice was prickly, spreading as though there were needles passing through the skin. The burning was more tame, more controlled, and felt like it was happening underneath the skin rather than on the surface. Fire was bites, numerous lightning fast strikes that degraded flesh in seconds. It was unpredictable, suffocating, and red. It practically screamed for everyone to look at it.

Miyuki would get concerned, watching his trainer slowly freeze him with a dull expression. But there was nothing he could do, going to get Endeavor certainly wasn't an option. The man didn't even know that his treasured son was harming himself in such a way, he'd probably never leave Todoroki alone in a room again. Miyuki couldn't release Kosuke either, they didn't obey Todoroki anymore and wouldn't provide any assistance. Of course, there were his siblings, but that meant if they somehow got catch, there was more people suffering. So instead, he was left with watching over his companion, making sure he was alive to live another day.

* * *

 

Todoroki didn't attend public school, nor did he attend on-line school. Instead his father insisted on getting some of the world's best educators and paying them to privately teach his son. The reason for it was that public schools were too noisy, there were too many other kids, too many ways to get distracted, and he wasn't guaranteed what he considered good teachers. On-line schooling was equally distracting, there was the temptation to goof off without proper guidance, he believed many programs were terrible at teaching, and staring at a screen all day was no good.

Because of this, Todoroki was very limited when it came to interacting with other people. Most of his responses turned automated, or formal. His devices were mostly to connect with his father when he wasn't home, emergencies relating to his family (Pokemon included) or if one of the other champions were inviting him to an upcoming battle. So while in the middle of training (thankfully at his own pace due his father being gone that day), he was startled to hear his phone go off with a notification he wasn't custom too.

When he went to check, he only briefly looked it over before sending a pre-made reply that his father made just for the occasion. With a Ninetales without its owner in the middle of town, it was bond to happen. What he didn't expect was for the same unknown number to send him pictures of their Pokemon together. He brushed it off, assuming it was meant to say, _look, Miyuki is okay._

But when it happened again on a different day in the midst of training with his father, he was scolded for having his phone volume on, mentioning that it was a distraction before demanding to know who it was. Todoroki lied, answering him with, _Aizawa wants me to go to his next battle_ before deleting the message and muting his phone. Their training continued after that.

It turned into a trend, after training to near exhaustion with a Ninetales that wouldn't even listen to him and a father that was brutal, there would be messages from that same number. Mostly pictures, but there was also the occasional paragraph of the stranger's excitement and experience with Miyuki. He wondered, when he looked at those pictures, if Miyuki was happier with this stranger.

Not that it mattered. It was clear to him that his father didn't like the ice fox anymore. Mostly because he knew if he gave his son a choice, he'd work with Miyuki over Kosuke. So he forced Todoroki to get rid of Miyuki during their training sessions so that his attention had nowhere to go other than Endeavor and Kosuke. That meant he was surrounded by heat and flames.

It was suffocating.

* * *

 

Life proceeded, he continued spending the first half of the day on academics, the second half on training, and throughout the week, receiving random messages from that unknown number. Weekends weren't much different, they were just flipped. He would train very early in the morning with both Miyuki and Kosuke, and in the afternoon he'd work on school projects, study, and other mundane tasks. Sometimes his schedule would change when his father would have a challenger and he was forced to come along, or when he was invited or requested to go to others in order to learn about how they fight. Otherwise, that provided him with only weekend evening to himself.

If he were able to sleep, he'd do so. His body would be so exhausted, that he wasn't even sure he was alive anymore because he couldn't hear his own breathing. Maybe it was because he was so tired that he couldn't, in that moment, comprehend sound.

If not, he'd go for a walk outside. There weren't many people, it wasn't too hot, and he was free to just..mindlessly walk. Miyuki would join him, sharing in his brief time of contentment. It was only a few more years, that was it. Just a little bit more and legally Todoroki wouldn't be restricted to his father being his care-taker. He would be able to do things for himself. He wasn't even sure what all that entailed, but if that meant his father was no longer in the frame, then he didn't care.

That didn't mean Todoroki was without doubt. It was always there, a weight that felt unevenly distributed through his entire body. For the most part, he carried it with practiced ease. But sometimes it was far to much, like the load of it double within the blink of an eye.

All he could do then was smolder.

There was no way out. The thought would randomly smack him in the face, but it'd spiral nearly every time before he had a chance to recover. There was no way out, his father, no matter when, no matter where, would have an eye on him. Why was he spending his time with wishful thinking? It should have  vanished when mom disappeared. And yet, he was still refusing his father's wishes. He wanted nothing to do with fire, it hurt. It'll always hurt. He really should be unaffected by now.

When his mother came to mind, it was a wave of emotion so intense, he felt nauseous. She was so gentle with him, stood up for him, encouraged him..to only have scolding water poured down his face. It burned, like liquid fire, and after that she was just..gone. How much did she really hate him? Was he not what she wanted? Or, did she not want him from the start? Why would she spend so much time being kind to him, if so? (He didn't know why she did it.)

A heavy sigh, it was one of those nights, and everything was continuing to fall apart at every poorly stitched seam. His walking came to halt and he plopped himself on the ground against a tree. He stared down at his hands, only to find that that he was shivering and that the finger tips of his right hand were a blue-ish gray. He did nothing to stop it, even with Miyuki's worried whimpers and practically pleading little whines.

Shivering was a warning, one that he largely ignored. The numbness in his right hand, it commonly traveled all the way up to his shoulder before he took notice or even cared to do anything about it. Logically, he knew it wasn't healthy. To practically let the blood freeze in his hand, and grow slower throughout his entire right, was the furtherest thing from okay. Yet, he did it anyway. He was more comfortable with ice nipping at his skin. It was blanket that he could coat himself in and feel at ease, despite the negative toll it'd have in the long run.

Suddenly, there was a notification from his phone. When did he turn the volume back on? With his left arm, cold but not quite shivering, he checked the screen. It was that same number. But no picture, no story, just _hello._

* * *

 

Before he knew it, he was going out to meet up with Midoriya. He expected the texts, and dare he say, looked forward to them though he never really shared much over the phone. Every conversation they had, he deleted immediately. He didn't want to get in trouble for having what he assumed must've been normal conversation.

When he met up with him, somehow, he wasn't expecting someone that was around his age. And he definitely wasn't expecting the conversation to go as it did.

Midoriya was passionate, and thoughtful from what he observed on the first interaction. When he mentioned Endeavor however, Todoroki flinched, he knew he did and it must've looked stupid. He had to keep himself from closing in on himself, he couldn't expect Midoriya to know what happened. He didn't expect him to know how he felt, or what he thought.

But when he looked, he didn't receive a look of disgust, or a skeptical narrowed-eyes. Instead there were wide green eyes filled with concern.

He agreed to meet up with him again the next day.

The boy could talk, if he recorded it, he was sure it'd translate into a book. He didn't mind, it meant that he could listen without having to struggle too too much about what he was going to say or what he should do.

  
By the end of their conversation, he felt guilty. Midoriya had some much admiration for the Champions, he kept on top of each of their challengers, and even went on to express why it was so important to him. It made Todoroki wonder if he was taking what he had for granted. For all he knew, Midoriya's life was much harder than his, yet here he was smiling, living passionately, and showing excitement in every fiber of his being.

Meanwhile Todoroki was caught up in a messy relationship with his father. Maybe his life wasn't so bad and he is just as weak as his father says after all.

It was of no wonder Miyuki wanted him to go back. This boy was a splash of color.

* * *

  
  
After some thought and a few favors, Todoroki decided to message Midoriya first. It was Wednesday after all and he knew he was bound to receive a text soon anyway, so might as well start the conversation.

**Hello**

  
**Hi! How you are?**

**Fine. Are you free Sunday morning?**

**I think so, is that when you want to meet up?**

**Yeah.**  
**Meet me at the closest train station at nine.**

**Train station? Where are we going?**

**You'll see.**  
**Good Night, Midoriya.**

  
  
He added the _good night_ before Midoriya had enough time to question him. It was meant to be a surprise, and he didn't want the other to accidentally get hints out of him though he doubt the other would press too much.

* * *

 

Rest of the week strolled by with the same schedule as it always did. First half of the day was calm, learning whatever was scheduled for him, then afterwards, more intense trainer with his Father. One would think that with all the times they've trained together, Todoroki would be an expert when it came to his father's combat. But, like most of the Champions, they had more than just one way of fighting. So whether or not he did decently all depended on what his father decided to throw at him, and if Kosuke was willing to work with him.

To people who weren't active trainers, trying to take on every gym or trial that there was the offer, didn't understand the purpose of training this way. But, one of the key elements of the Champions, is that they were sort of heroes too. They were licensed, allowed to help take down and subdue organized teams with ill intent, wild/destructive Pokemon, or simply aid those that were in bad positions such as caves, mountains, etc.

Therefore, it was extremely important to be fit, fast-thinking, and a number of other skills. Whether or not one had a quirk to assist them, it was important to have the skills. Which meant that being able to communicate with all one's Pokemon was extremely important even in the line of work.

Yeah, there were Police and other certified officials to help out with these causes, but no one was going to argue with free help from the Champions. After all, their rescues helped with their ranks, not just how many battles they've won. That being said, training was important. But training with Endeavor, the number two Champion, was dreadful.

There was little room for error, there wasn't from the beginning. And being tossed from one extreme to another was really damaging, hot and cold, burning and freezing. It swapped like day and night for him.

During the day, his father's fire was always looming, and Kosuke wasn't a helpful addition to the already heated atmosphere. No matter where they trained, in the yard, out in the woods, near lakes or mountains, all the fresh air in the world couldn't make the terrible overwhelming heat go away. Even the sun was mocking him, burning along side his father and Ninetales.

So, when there was a day, a full day without any training; he finally felt able to breath and relax. In a strange way, he was glad that Midoriya turned up. It allowed himself to think about something other than his father. He didn't understand it, but his mind was much easier to work with when it involved someone other than himself or his father.

That was why today, Todoroki was waiting at a train station. One of the positives of his father being a Champion was that he had all their contacts, therefore, Todoroki could contact whenever he so pleased for as long as it was to watch one of their matches. Otherwise his father would go off about how it was a waste of his time to talk to them.

  
Therefore, he was taking Midoriya to one of All Might's battles. Not only would Midoriya get to watch it live and in person, but afterwards he'd be able to meet his idol, as well as a few other Champions that he might've asked to come along and those that simply came on their own. It was the least he could since the other had taken care of Miyuki, after all, his Ninetales was a gift from mother and without a doubt was one of the few things he cared about.

When the green-haired boy arrive, it a little past nine, there was another twelve minutes for a train was supposed to come by so it was no problem. "Good Morning, Todoroki, sorry that I'm a little late."

"It's fine," was all he replied with.

"So, where we are going?" He asked, a bright smile on his face and eyes wide with curiosity. Had Midoriya always had freckles? Todoroki hadn't quite noticed them before, then again, the two times they met it was late, so not only was he tired, but it was dark even under streetlights.

"You'll see."

"Are you trying to surprise me with something?" He tilted his head, looking at the dual haired boy as though that would magically give him an answer.

"Something like that." Then there was a laugh, soft, maybe a little nervous? No, he was interpreting it wrong, what did he know about people's actions?

"Really? You don't have to do anything for me, I am more than happy to keep Miyuki company. His happiness is reward enough." He only hummed at the other's words, offering no further response and waiting until their train arrived. That left a few minutes of silence.

Once it arrived, they boarded and took a seat. There weren't too many people, it wasn't a popular day so most people that were on the train were those that still had work on these days, and other trainers. Some of them were merely traveling from one city to the next, others were going to the same place they were but without the luxury.

It wasn't going to be a long ride, the stadium of today's event wasn't that far out of the way. At least, it wasn't by train. The walk would've been long, not that he would've minded walking, but this was faster and it didn't feel like the sun was directly on his shoulders taunting him. A little into the ride, he glanced over at Midoriya. When their eyes met, he was little shocked. He hadn't been expecting the other to be looking his way.

Midoriya's reaction was kind of silly, like he was catch doing something he shouldn't because his eyes widened and a faint blur of rosy red took at his cheeks. Why was he reacting that way? Did he do something he was unaware of? Todoroki decided to look at his hands then, there was no ice or frost and he was not trembling, so what did he do?

Apparently it didn't matter, Midoriya decided to talk, "So, uh, since we still don't know too much about each other..how about we ask each other questions? Simples, like, what is your color or something?" He hesitantly suggested.

"Sure."

"Okay, I'll ask first! What is your favorite food?"

"Cold soba. Yours?"

"Katsudon!" He answered with his usual happy expression, the red gone from his cheeks. "Favorite color? Or colors, I know some people have more than just one."

"Blue." Ice normally had a bluish tint to it.

"Really? I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, between your quirk and Miyuki, there are plenty of blue traces I'm sure. I really like the colors yellow and red."

Todoroki hummed, it was kind of an absentminded thing he did. "That is more surprising than me liking blue."

"Why's that?"

"I've only ever seen you wear greens or blue-greens." Granted, this is only their third meet up, but his clothes were always of a similar palette. He didn't wait for Midoriya to explain himself, it'd turn into rambling. Not that he minded, but if the goal was to get to know each other, too much rambling may be an issue. So he asked another question.

It continued like that, a little back and forth until the train stopped at their destination. It was merely a ten minute walk after that, and anyone with eyes could see the stadium.

They got off, Midoriya looking around to take in their surroundings. It was a very populated area, and with today's event, it was more crowded than usual. At first, the freckled boy looked around questioningly, then it dawned on him. "Wait, are we-"

Before he had the chance to complete his question, Todoroki took the two tickets out from his bag. They weren't the regular tickets that were mosty white with a red stripe at the top with standard black font; these tickets had a red boarder with golden foil over all the words that reflected the sunlight.

The way Midoriya's face lit up, followed by the tears that started to spill from his gratitude, made for an awkward yet endearing situation. He couldn't seem to hold back from expressing just how happy he was, and frankly, Todoroki has never seen someone so happy about something he's done.

Of course, they gathered a few questioning stares and glances from strangers, so Todoroki tried his best to calm the other down. He wasn't very good at it, but the phrase, "Relax. Calm down. We don't want to miss the show," was all Midoriya needed to hear.

They went through the stadium entrance without having to wait in-line like those with normal tickets would have to deal it. It was much like a baseball stadium as far as shops went. Along the outside were food vendors, a few places with a bunch of benches for those to eat at, and a gift shop or two. There were also vendors selling comics, trading cards, and other old, limited edition or signed collectibles.

The shops served as something to do in between matches, or if the battle seemed to get dull or slow. Plus, people loved buying thing to remember the moment. So it wasn't a surprise when he found Midoriya eying at the merch. "We still have time, if you want to go look."

"But I thought you said we'd miss the show earlier?"

"I did." He answered, "I didn't know what else to say." He admitted.

It made Midoriya laugh a little, "I guess it is pretty awkward, sorry about that."

"It's fine. Let's go look."

It was still incredibly crowded, anything All Might related, it was bound to be. That meant it was very easy to loose someone, something Todoroki hadn't really thought about as he started to lead the way. He'd been here before, he knew where he was going. But when a hand grabbed his, he flinched. Barely. But it must've went noticed because an apology immediately spilling from the other's mouth.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to grab you like that but there is a lot of people and I am not that tall and," he was rambling.

The heat seemed to increase for Todoroki, there was already so many bodies making it unbearably warm, and now there was a much warmer hand connected to his own. He had to take in a long shallow breath before responding. "It's fine." With that, he proceeded to lead Midoriya around to all the stops that sold merch.

He supposed he should've told Midoriya about this before hand, he didn't have too much money on him. Even when Todoroki decided to buy a few things for him, the other was startling rambling about how he didn't need to, that bringing him here was gift enough, that he didn't even have to bring him here at all. But the dual haired male choice to ignore such rambles. He might not completely understand collectibles, or why people collect materialistic items, but if it made someone happy..then that was all that mattered..right?

Besides, it wasn't too many things. An All Might poster that was only sold at this specific stadium, a silly little backpack charm, and a first-edition comic from when All Might was first gaining popularity but was still unknown enough at the time to make the copy rare. Honestly, the comic was the most expensive item despite its age.

After getting food to munch on for during the battle, they made their way to their seats. It was an isolated space from the rest. Pokemon, for as long as they didn't go against restriction, were allowed out. Therefore Midoriya was allowing to free Mighty from his Poke-Ball so that he could watch too. There were other people in this isolated area, other lower ranked Champions, and students that studied under them. So when the freckled boy heard a familiar voice call out his name, he was terribly confused only to turn and see Kirishima taking a seat beside him.

"Man, I wasn't expecting to see you here!" He had a large grin, making his shark-like teeth evident for all to see. "And with Todoroki too! I didn't know you guys hung out."

"I didn't expect to see you here either, but it's a pleasant surprise." His smile was much more sweet, more gentle. "I honestly didn't know I was going to be here today..Todoroki didn't exactly tell me where were going but it's such a wonderful surprize."

"No kidding. But seriously, when did you and Todoroki start hanging out? He never brings anyone anyway."

"Well, we text on the weekends. Last weekend was the first time we met in person, and now we're here!" He beamed, it made the icy male wonder if he could possibly be happier than he is today.

"That's awesome, bro! It's great that you are reaching out, Todoroki!" Everything Kirishima said was loud and enthusiastic. They hardly knew each other aside from brief interaction after Champion matches. He was the student under Crimson Riot, so it wasn't entirely uncommon for the two of them to end up in the same place. Though this was the first time the spiky red head had come an All Might showing, he already knew why.

"Yeah." He deadpanned. "How do you know each other?"

"Oh, we both go to UA." Midoriya answered simply, and all he could manage was a faint hum in acknowledgement.

The green and red haired characters started to chat about this and that, Todoroki hardly listening. When the battle began, they were both quiet in an instant.

Today's match, a double battle. The first two from All Might's team were Machamp and Pyroar. He didn't know the names of All Might's Pokemon, moreless he just didn't remember them, but Midoriya knew. On his lap was his journal, already doing gestural sketches of the Pokemon while muttering under his breath.

When did he take out his journal?

On the challenging side, Barbaracle and Scrafty. What an interesting duo set, he thought.

After the freckled boy had done his gestural sketches, he went into analyzing the types of Pokemon they, what their advantages were, and how they could overcome certain obstacles. He was viewing as though he were one of the contestants. Pure focus written all over his face.

Even when the clash was on going, he had continued to mutter while taking notes on what the trainer's decided to do, how it either helped them or hurt them, etc. He did it through the entire first challenger. Only when intermission occurred did he loose the focused look, scribbling a few last minute notes for himself then proceeding to clean up a few sketches he's done. There were still mostly gestural, very dynamic since some were quick in-action poses.

He hadn't known he got caught up in watching Midoriya draw until the pencil stopped moving, "Hey man, are you even listening to me?" He hadn't expected to hear Kirishima's voice when the pencil stopped, causing Todoroki to look up.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't." He admitted.

"You are full of surprises today. You bring a friend, you surprise him, and you have your head in the clouds." Every word he said had an encouraging tone to it. That was just who he was, but it still felt strange.

"I just thought Midoriya's drawings were nice." The compliment appeared to have an affect on the green haired boy for his cheeks sprouted the same rosy tint he saw earlier.

"T-thank you, they are gestural so they are kind of sloppy.." He barely managed to say those words.

"Don't degrade your work." He didn't know how he found himself saying that, but there they were. Up in the air for the other to catch.

The result was positive. Assurance must have really meant a lot to Midoriya because gave Todoroki such a sweet smile. He saw his mouth move, but he didn't hear anything, not when he was being smiled at like that.

His head really was up in the clouds.

Thankfully, whatever Midoriya said, he wasn't awaiting a response. Instead the conversation shifted back to being between him and Kirishima. Mighty had been on his trainer's head the entire time, looked just as focused as his trainer did, and appeared to be actively listening to all of their conversations.

He wondered what Mighty thought of him. Pokemon sensed things better than humans could, so he couldn't help but wonder.

Eventually intermission ended, All Might came back with his team back to full health. That was the perk of Poke-Balls and technology, they were able to instantly heal any condition for as long as the Pokemon had a ball to return too. Those that didn't had to deal with a more waited out process like humans naturally did.

Another match began, singles, and the first brawl was between Kommo-o and Toxicroak. Again, Midoriya began his mumbling and fast sketches. He repeated the same thing he had done before, simply receiving different results due to a different battling type and some new Pokemon. It went on, an impressive battle filled with thoughts and strategy from both sides, enough determination to make even the laziest of people want to do something in the spur of the moment. And they got to watch it all, different people, different styles, and sometimes even a few fake-outs to make the battle more interesting or surprising.

There was one more intermission, and a third match started. The process repeating, like a time loop with different results.

Once the match came to a close, the general audience started to pile out of the stadium. That left only those with the special tickets to remain. There wasn't much said during this time, a few chatters between the boys of green and red as they three of them headed over to All Might. Other people had joined, of course since Kirishima was there that meant Crimson Riot was there too. (Which also meant he had to return to his side). As well as Aizawa, Yamada, and Thirteen. There were ace trainers too, but they weren't known to any of the three boys.

When they approached All Might, he seemed to light up. He was a very thin man, his golden blond hair kind of messy, drastically different from the comic book perception of him but that's okay. Even in the made-up story, All Might has a thinner form, it is just used under different circumstance. Most of the time he is an American styled hero. Regardless, he looked just as welcoming and reassuring as he always does.

"Young Todoroki, I'm glad see you. And you brought a friend!" The last statement, All Might sounded proud. He examined Midoriya, smiling the entire time just as he was known for. "It's been quite some time since I've seen another Sylveon, my boy, are we one of the same?"

The realization that it was directed at Midoriya had the freckled boy beaming, caught up on the phrase, are we one of the same? He quickly gave a nod, knowing that he was referring to the both of them being quirkless. "It's a pleasure to finally meet up, All Might, sir!" He couldn't contain his excitement, it was prominent in his voice.

It made the man laugh, "No need to call me sir. A friend of Todoroki is a friend of ours." That statement made it clear that there was more of a relationship between the Champions and Todoroki than he originally let on. "Tell me. How did you two become friends?"

"Miyuki." They both answered.

All Might must've of expected that answer, he didn't seemed surprised at all. "May I see Miyuki? I want to know what he has to say." He couldn't actually speak to Pokemon as cool as that would be. But Ninetales were extremely intelligent and could understand human tongue as though it were their own. So when asked, Todoroki was easy to release his icy fox companion.

Conversation continued, mostly between Midoriya, Miyuki and All Might. He had started to blend out of the conversation since it was primarily them getting to know each other with information that he had already known. He was content to allow the freckled boy to explain it all, he said it with far more ease and emotion that he couldn't ever dream of matching.

It must've been obvious he wasn't paying close attention, because suddenly he heard a voice call for him that hadn't belonged to All Might or Midoriya. He turned to look, seeing Aizawa with an almost expecting look.

He pardoned himself from the others, making his way over to Aizawa. The man always looked sleep deprived, for all he knew, he was. His hair was generally loose, kind of wavy but extremely frizzy. He wasn't much of a people person, or one that liked being in public at all, so it was of no surprise when he didn't look the part. "I'm proud of you."

What?

Although he hadn't actually said then, he must have made a face because Aizawa went further to explain. "I know how hard it is for you to make friends and reach out to people. So I'm proud of you for not only making a friend, but reaching out to us."

Todoroki wasn't used to this. How could someone be proud of him for this?

"And I hope that you'll reach out to us in future." There were plenty of words that went unsaid.

Aizawa knew better than the rest of the Champions, but he still didn't know enough. He knew that his parents didn't have a very healthy relationship, he lacked the details, but he still knew of it. He knew that his mom gave him the scar of his face, and he knew that his father didn't understand anything about mental illness. But that was it.

None of them knew why their relationship was so terrible, he did. None of them knew how his father treated him, he lived with it. None of them knew how much he regretted waking up to only experience the same thing nor did they know how suffocating the heat felt to him. So many things, they didn't know.

Even with the acknowledgement of those words, understanding their meaning, he was nothing more than a blank board on the outside. Except for the face that he wasn't making eye contact, eyes slightly down casted. It was normal behavior for him, to not look someone directly in the eyes unless directed. He could fake it though, all you had to do was look every so slightly elsewhere. Maybe stare at the eyebrows, or a strand hair in someone's face, something like that. It fooled most.

But Aizawa, someone who was known was looking despite how red his eyes occasionally seemed, could tell when someone looked anywhere else. They both knew, but he chose not to point it out as to not further Todoroki's uncomfortable demeanor. He also knew better than to touch him, knowing that was just as uncomfortable for him. So instead, he said, "I'll let you return to your friend. Just try to remember what I said. Okay?"

Todoroki nodded before turning his attention back over to All Might and Midoriya.

What happened?

When he looked over he saw Midoriya crying, much like how he did when he found out about the surprise. Tears of joy.

He must have been gone for a decent amount of time, he thought. The two Sylveons were at play with one another, even allowing Miyuki to join whatever is they were playing. Perhaps it was a form of tag. Do Pokemon play tag? He didn't know.

And whatever conversation All Might and Midoriya were having must've been emotional because not only was the freckled boy still filled with happy tears, but All Might seemed to be smiling more than his usual self.

He made his way over, but didn't say anything. Not wanting to interrupt whatever was happening.

His presence was acknowledged immediately, and before he had a chance to comprehend the situation, there were arms looped around his body in a tight yet gentle embrace. Oh, how his entire body stiffened and he went stone cold. He was unprepared and the frost that left random patches all over his arm were prominent.

To his luck, Midoriya paid no mind. He knew that he was natural cold, so he blew out the fact that Todoroki's entire body was cold with the assumption that it was natural. He took into account that this sudden embrace was startling for his still newly found friend, but at the time he didn't think much of it. Assuming the stiffness was just the shock of it. He began to pour words of thanks, gratitude and overall happiness and appreciation.

It all blended together, he was only able to separate certain phrases from the bulk: _You're really sweet, you know that? No one has ever done something like this for me before. This is one of the best days of my life._

This was overwhelming, suffocating, but not in the usual way.

When it finally came to close, and Midoriya had calmed down, he hadn't have much of a comment about it. Yeah, All Might was watching. That must've been awkward to witness. But the look he gave them was a joyful one.

Somehow, he managed to find some words. Nothing to respond to the freckled boys spill of emotions, but words to urge him to follow him so that Midoriya could meet the other Champions that he specifically requested to be here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As someone who loves ice, there is such a different between ice burns and fire burns. It's quite interesting.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this so far. It was mostly written on a whim, so it doesn't have a details or intense plot I guess you could say. Though, perhaps in the future in smaller segments? I do want to expand their teams.
> 
> Thank you all so far for your sweet comments, kudos, etc.


	3. Segment Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Footsteps in a gentle direction.

All of that day felt like a dream for Midoriya, not only was he taken to meet his idol, but All Might even offered to be his teacher. He never said yes faster before in his life, and he was beyond excited. He knew that Champions would take in younger trainers, but how fast it all happened? How quickly All Might decided? He couldn't believe it. But one thing he knew for sure was that he had to thank Todoroki and Miyuki for it. They provided all the influence needed.

He managed to keep himself calm during the train ride back because Todoroki's face had tired plainly written all over it. It even looked like he was struggling to keep himself awake with the way he was fighting to keep his eyes open. Whenever they closed, it was as if in that instant he had fallen asleep. His facial features would soften, and the rest of his body seemed to relax with it. But it never lasted longer than a minute before he'd flinch and returned to a stiffened groggy state. It made the freckled boy worry about him walking home while so tired.

When they were roughly five minutes away from their destination, he decided to gently put his hand on Todoroki's shoulder and provide a soft shake, "Hey, Todoroki, we are almost at our stop. Are you sure you'll be safe to walk home..?" He was concerned, not that he doubted the other's abilities to get home safely, but there is always a risk. Even if one isn't aware.

"Mm," he tried to get rid of the groggy feeling, fixing his position. "I'll be fine."

"If you say so, I could walk home with you though..if you want.." He looked down at his hands nervously letting his thumbs fiddle with each other.

"It sounds like you want to walk me home." There was still lingering sleepiness in his voice.

"N-no, no, I-i was just offering since..y'know..you are practically falling asleep on the train and I don't want anything to happen to you because of how tired you are."

The other let out a hum in thought before giving a slow nod, "Okay. You can walk me home."

Midoriya blinked at him a few times, not actually expecting him to accept his offer. "Really?"

"If it'll calm your nerves, then yes."

 

  
Once the train came to stop and the boys were off did they start to head to Todoroki's home. It was a quiet mid-afternoon, not even evening yet, and the tired posture was evident through their entire walk. He got drained a lot faster when it came to interacting with relatively large groups of people since he wasn't very accustomed to it. His pace was slow but steady, and he was still able to make his was home without a second thought.

Midoriya didn't talk too much, a few comments here and there. Most of them where to check if Todoroki was still awake since he was so quiet, he was almost positive he was sleep walking. Thankfully he wasn't.

When the house came into view, Todoroki stopped. "You can go."

"You don't want me to walk you to the door?" He sounded almost confused. If he walked home with a friend, he walked them to the door. It provided him comfort seeing them enter their houses, knowing for sure they were safe inside.

"No. I'll be fine. Good bye, Midoriya." He proceeded to walk then, making the rest of the way to his house.

The green-haired boy watched him from a distance instead, not wanting to following if he hadn't wanted him to. Only when he saw Todoroki open the door and go inside did he truly feel calm. He made his own way home after that, eager to talk to his mom about how his day went, show her the stuff that Todoroki got for him, and the news that he'd now be training with All Might.

* * *

  
Most of the on-coming weeks remained the same; Midoriya would go to Miyuki in the afternoon. He'd do homework (even when school wasn't going on there were on-going assignments), play and train with Pokemon then head home. The difference was that he now had specific training instructions. He couldn't go to All Might everyday after school, it'd be too much. Not only for himself, but for the Champion too. So the schedule would alternate days depending on what days his teacher could do. Some weeks it'd be Tuesday and Thursday, other times it'd be Monday and Wednesday, but one day that was always open was Sunday.  
However, he didn't want to leave Miyuki alone, so he brought the Ninetales with him for training. All Might didn't mind, in fact, was interested to learn more about the style of fighting and training Todoroki would do with him.  
  
Messaging Todoroki was a steady schedule, late on weekend nights. Ever since their little trip, he'd learned a bit more about his quiet friend. For example, he learned that his days were nearly only schooling and training because his father was strict. There wasn't a lot of explanation, but Midoriya knew some people simply had strict parents, so he didn't think too much of it at the time.

Another aspect of Todoroki he found out was that he liked Pokemon Folk-Tales, Legends and Mythologies. That conversation was one of the first times he had long responses, talking about different stories and rumors that have been spread about Kyurem, Suicine, and many others. Though he liked talking about ice types the most, says he relates to them more.

Of course, he would try to hang out with him too. It only appeared to happen when he wasn't being flooded with extra academic related work.

 

  
Tonight, after tons of reassurance, the white-and-red haired boy was coming to Midoriya's house for a movie night. Not only was it an excuse to relax, but to be in the presence of a few friends and finally give them the chance to meet Todoroki. With how often he talks about him, they have been begging to meet him.

A gentle knock at the door, and all Todoroki could hear were the voices of other teens happily chatting from the other side. When it opened, there was a beaming Midoriya, clearly excited that he made it. "Todoroki!" How happily he said his name, seemed to make for a more anxious feeling. Thankfully, he was able to keep a calm facade in nearly every situation. Some of it was practice, and the rest of it was pure exhaustion. He had a hard time fiddling with emotions if he was too tired to think about them.

Midoriya quickly gestured him inside then led him to the living room where everyone was sitting on or around the couch trying to pick a movie. This group consisted of: Uraraka, Iida, Asui and Tokoyami. Their discussion over what film to watch dropped the moment Todoroki entered the room. Everyone greeted him with a peasant hello. The bubbly brown haired woman was quick to her feet to introduce herself. "You are Todoroki, right? Deku has told us so much about you! I'm Uraraka." She had a lot of energy, similar to Midoriya, but didn't quite feel the same to him.

"I know," he recieved a confused look for a split second, "Midoriya has sent me pictures of all of you with Miyuki. Sorry if that unsettling."

She glanced over the the freckled boy before returning her attention to the man in front of her. "Well it's great to finally meet you in person. Would you like to help us with picking out a movie?"

"No thanks. I will be content with whatever you choose." He wasn't sure where to go from there. Does he sit on the floor? Does he sit on the couch? Does he introduce himself to Midoriya's other friends? Does he have to meet the mom? He was very unsure, so instead he stood there, as though waiting for further instruction.

"Okay, but if there is a tie, you're going to be the tie breaker." Uraraka joined the others, going through movies they had on dvd while also strolling through Netflix.

Todoroki glanced at the dvds' they were deciding from: Meet The Robinsons, Zootopia, Mulan, Big Hero 6, and many other animated series. He came to the conclusion that Midoriya had a preference for animated movies, that was fine though. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't preferred them himself. Mostly because they reminded him of his mom.  
  
"So Todoroki, are you spending the night?" Midoriya asked, and the other two that were sleeping over (Tokoyami and Uraraka), glanced up for a split second. Clearly they were curious if he was too.

"I didn't know it was a sleep over." He saw the way Midoriya's facial expressions changed, about to spill apologizes but he decided to continue before he did that. "Do you want me too?"

The green haired boy's face was somewhat rosy, embarrassed but happy, "I would love for you to spend the night! I mean, I know it is short notice for you since I hadn't told you earlier, and I am sorry that I didn't, so I will understand if you can't or don't want to-"

"I'll sleep over."

It shocked him, "R-really?"

Todoroki nodded. "I will have to leave early in the morning though, if that's alright."

"Of course, I just- you didn't even ask your dad. Isn't he going to be upset that you didn't ask him? I don't want you to get in trouble over this."

"It's fine. I'll let him know." He won't. "I don't think he'll complain for as long as I'm up for training." He'll lie, say he went on a morning, at least then his father wouldn't be too mad. He hoped anyway. He hadn't brought anything for a sleep over, he'll just sleep in the clothes he is wearing now. A plain t-shirt with a teal hoodie, and generic blue jeans. Jeans weren't comfortable to sleep in, but he'll deal.

"Do you two want to watch Big Hero 6 or Scooby Doo Spooky Island?"

Midoriya turned his attention them, "Oh, without a doubt Big Hero 6!" It was one of his favorite animated films. He felt guilty suddenly since he hadn't bothered to ask Todoroki his opinion, "unless you'd rather Scooby Doo?"

Todoroki shook his head, "Your decision is fine."

 

 

  
Once the movie was put in, everyone positioned themselves. Midoriya, Todoroki and Tokoyami all sat on the couch, while the other three took the floor. They were sitting on pillows to cushion themselves as their backs were supported against the couch. Tokoyami leaned against the arm of the couch, not taking up to much space while Todoroki sat with his knees close to his chest, hugging his legs while Midoriya comfortably sat in the middle with his legs crossed.

His mother brought in snacks early on, making her son the popcorn holder, and Iida hold the bowl of chips for those that didn't want popcorn. She also brought them drinks depending on what they wanted.

It was strange to Todoroki, junk food and sugary drinks. He didn't touch it, he was content with drinking water and that alone.

Somehow, over the course of the movie, Dark Shadow had taken the popcorn bowl while Midoriya found himself leaving his original position in favor of leaning up against Todoroki's left side. It was warm, he's come to notice, like a living heater. Neither of them said anything, he was comfortable, and figured that Todoroki hadn't really noticed him anyway.

Instead the boy with two different colored-eyes was watching the screen in amusement. It had been awhile since he's seen a movie, not factoring in the eduction documentaries he watches from time to time. Only when the movie end did he remove his eyes from the screen to glance at Midoriya.

He was surprised to see that he was already looking at him, though he said nothing of it.

"Can I have both your hands for a moment?"

He blinked. "I suppose."

With that, he allowed the freckled boy to take both of his hands in his own. He tilted his head in curiosity, watching Midoriya's face expressions. "Your hands are two different temperatures. It's like..one side is a heater and the other is an ice pack."

"Really?" Uraraka perked up from her spot on the floor, "Can I feel?" Once Midoriya removed his hands, she was quick to take his place. It was two drastically different temperatures, "That's so neat! Is it because of your quirk?"

"Yeah." He pulled his hands free, "It starts on my right. So it's colder than the average body. If I get too hot, it'll act on its own and spreads to cool me down."

"That's amazing!" Both of them chimed.

"I bet it's pretty helpful in the summer, huh?" Uraraka decided to continue.

Todoroki nodded, "It is."

 

 

Eventually the time came where a few people had to go home, leaving Uraraka, Tokoyami and Todoroki as the remainders. Which didn't feel much different, it was only minus Iida and Asui. "We should figure out sleeping arrangements." Midoriya suggested, "my mom already set up an air mattress, so two of you can share that, and one of you can share my bed with me."

Todoroki didn't seem to like the idea of sharing a bed with someone, much less someone he knew nothing about. So he kept quite as the other two guests thought of different possible arrangements. He figured no matter what he'll probably end up uncomfortable, so he's allowing them to decide.

Though, he would prefer to be the one to share a bed with Midoriya. He knew him, in fact, he kind of liked him. A bit more he assumed a friend should. After they started talking more, he was willing to share tidbits of information on himself. He enjoyed the fact that he wasn't forced to talk, or forced to really do anything for the matter. He was allowed his own pace.

But, he knew of his bad habit. How a part of his body would freeze over, causing the air around him to drop in temperature while also making himself shiver. He didn't want Midoriya to witness that, and he certainly didn't want to make him icy cold.

"Are you okay with that Todoroki?"

He blinked, having spaced out and didn't hear a single prior to the question. He nodded anyway.

"Great, so Todoroki will share a bed with Midoriya while Tokoyami and I share the air mattress. Glad that's all settled! What do you want to do now?" Her question was put toward the group, but all Todoroki could was mentally sigh. He figured he would just pretend to sleep in order to not make anyone freeze during the night.

"We could watch more movies?" Tokoyami suggested, "Or we can play a game, Cards Against Humanity, Uno, Go Fish? We could play video games too, Midoriya, you have Smash Bros, don't you? And Mario Kart?"

"Only for the Wii U, I haven't gotten the Switch yet."

"I want to play Mario Kart! I'm going to demolish all of you!" Uraraka claimed.

"I've never played Mario Kart."

Suddenly three sets of eyes were on him, "What?"

Todoroki didn't understand, and he didn't like all the eyes on him. "Did I say something wrong..?"

"No, no, it's just..everyone has played Mario Kart. Even people who don't favor Nintendo." The freckled boy said sheepishly.

"Now we have to play! Don't worry Todoroki, I'll go easy on you." With a grin, Uraraka went to set up the game. She goes over to Midoriya's house pretty often, she knows where everything is and generally is allowed to help herself.

Therefore, the group make their way back to the couch, managing to fit four people. "I'll let you teach your boyfriend how to play, Deku." She said teasingly as she handed everyone their controllers.

Her comment made the freckled boy's face burn a brighter red than previous times, no longer a gentle dusty rose. He cleared his throat before trusting himself to speak, "Boyfriend? Where did you get that idea?"

"It's pretty obvious," she began, selecting multi-player and allowing everyone to click in, "he did take you to a Champion Stadium match that lasted most of the day, and he bought you All Might merch. I think that counts as a date, or him liking you at least."

The character select screen was up, Uraraka chose Isabelle since they had the DLC. Tokoyami went with a black ShyGuy, Midoriya chose Link, and Todoroki went with Rosalina.  
  
With every word she word, the more red there was that spread throughout his face. "H-he's literally right next to me..." He murmured softly, going through kart customizations. He couldn't believe that she was talking about this right in front of Todoroki; he was too afraid to even look over at him.

"He's not denying it," she said in a near singy voice and a grin on her face.

He took in a shaky breath, nodding slowly as he turned his attention to Todoroki and went into explaining the difference between karts and bikes, the wheels, and gliders etc. After that he gave him a run down over what all the buttons did, and gave a little of information on what all the attack items did.

He was thankful that the other didn't mention anything about what Uraraka was saying, and simply chose to listen to him talk about the game and its mechanics.

After it was explained, it was time to put it to practice. A basic stage was selected for their first round, giving Todoroki the time to get used to the controls and the overall layout of the game. It took a few tracks for him to get the hang of it, and once they were on harder tracks, Todoroki struggled with the direction of the roads and sharp turns.

Needless to say, he wasn't the best player, but he certainly wasn't the worst. It didn't matter, Midoriya was there to support him, even if it was just a silly game.

  
Hours passed, Mario Kart and shifted to Smash Bros, where Midoriya had to again explain the controls, what uses the characters had, etc. It was fun, Uraraka had brought her all, she usually does in those types of games. If it was cute, she'd play it and she made sure she'd kick butt too. Which when it involved the occasional Bakugou, well, that was its own experience. For the most part, Midoriya had made sure that Todoroki was okay with all this while also having left positive comments when he did something that was particularly impressive or clever.

But, they did have to sleep eventually. With the knowledge that Todoroki would be leaving early, he certainly did not want to keep him up all night. So the group got ready bed.

Once all curled up under blankets in the locations they agreed upon did most of them allow themselves to be captured by sleep. All but the boy who was largely to unsure to allow himself to make conversation. Instead, he laid in the silence. His eyes staring into the darkness of the room, and after a while the dark started to play tricks with his eyes. It was something the mind does, similar to staring at oneself in the mirror too long, it created things that weren't actually there. Though, it didn't make it any less unnerving.

Strangely enough, he was used to it. Sometimes he would even ponder the idea of a Gengar hiding amongst the darkness, perhaps trying to make him stir. Perhaps even a Shuppet was possible, if they feed upon the strong dark emotions and thoughts of others, he assumed they'd have a field day over his hatred for his father or the hatred toward himself even. He pushed the thought of ghosts away, if he thought about it long enough, he was afraid he'd jinx it. Which, in a room of kind people, was something he didn't want to risk.

He wasn't sure how long he'd laid there staring, but that didn't matter. The rest were asleep. So, he got up and out of bed, heading downstairs to the living room. It was roughly two in the morning and all he could do was sigh as he sat on the couch. He was tired, and knew that with the wake of the morning sun, there was training.

In times like this, Miyuki was of wonderful help. But the fox was in its Poke-Ball like the rest of their Pokemon. Instead he looked down at his hands, allowing the right to frost over. Thin layers of frost didn't do anything for him anymore, he had grown so used to it that he didn't quite feel it. Well, technically he did. It was like dipping his hand in water, nothing special. Shifting the frost to a thick layer of ice however, was more effective.

The temperature of the room around him would drop drastically a lot faster, surrounding him in the nipping cold. Somehow, it made the ice on his body feel colder, more frigid. He wasn't sure if that was what was actually happening, but he didn't care for how it worked. It made him shiver, consume a part of his body in a tingling sensation that felt like the life was leaving a part of his body but eventually becoming numb.

He shouldn't like it, the numbness, but he did. The fact that he hasn't gotten frost bite was surprising. Though he figure it was because he could regulate his body temperatures. He wondered if this was anything similar to those that get frozen by a Cryogonal feel like, after all, they freeze their prey at -148 degrees Fahrenheit. He could freeze other things that way too if he had ever wanted too. The thought was quickly shaken away, he didn't want to freeze people solid. Why would he even think about that? Even people who were terrible, he wouldn't want to kill them.

"Todoroki?"

A voice called for him in the dark, and he took in a deep breath. He made the ice disappear with ease, but he had to be carefully with regulating his body temperature too quickly. As he did this, he turned his head over to the direction of the voice.

Midoriya. Of course it was Midoriya. Who else could it have been?  
The air in the room was near freezing point, leaving the green haired boy shivering as he walked over to join him on the couch. "W-what are you d-doing..?" His teeth were chattering, not prepared for how cold it was going to be.

"Sorry. You must be cold. Let's go back to your room." As he stood up, Midoriya simply yanked him back down, ignoring how his body practically screamed to go somewhere warmer.

"Y-you didn't answer m-my question." Midoriya was studdering due to the shivering, though it was slowly subsiding at the air gradually grew to an average room temperature. Though, he noticed just how cold Todoroki's right arm still was, much much colder than it had been any other time. "Were..were you using your quirk?" His brows came together in confusion.

"I was." He admitted. "You shouldn't worry about it."

"Too late," Midoriya was offering him a somewhat sad smile, as though to further show his worry in a sweeter way. "Why were you using your quirk?"

"It got too warm." He lied.

"Todoroki, I came downstairs shivering. Why would you drop it to such low temperatures?" The other couldn't seem to answer. "What's wrong?" As he spoke, he kept his grip on his arm, feeling it was slowly made its way to its normal cold feel rather than feeling like straight up ice.

There was a few minutes of silence before he offered an answer. "Just a bad habit."

Judging by the way Midoriya held onto his arm, he figured that he knew what he was referring to. "Are..are you freezing yourself?" He asked slowly, cautiously. When he recieved a nod it was as though Todoroki could visually see Midoriya's heart break. He may not have known why he did it, but he didn't push for any further answers. Instead he pulled the latter into a tight embrace, in which he had stiffened at first but slowly melted into.

It was awhile, sitting close in one's arms, his eyes shut tight. He didn't dare open them, or speak for that matter. He allowed it happen, even when Midoriya let him go, he didn't make him go back upstairs.

Instead Midoriya left for a moment, coming back with plush blanket. He took his spot back next to Todoroki, and wrapped them up in the same large soft sheet. He leaned up against up, hugging the right arm as though attempting to keep it warm all by himself. It was quiet, neither spoke nor moved, they hadn't felt the need to.

* * *

 

A whistling from the kitchen called for Fuyumi's attention while her younger brother sat at the dining room table. There were notes at his side while a book in hand, _Spell of The Unknown_ , a folktale about a little girl's wish featuring Entei as her father. It was one of many stories told about the mythical beast, and each story had its own unique elements. He often read these for Pokemon history, they were part of cultural beliefs and generally shared lessons for future generations. So he took notes as he went along.

There was a knock at the door, but he chose to ignore it. If father wasn't home, he wanted nothing to do with people at their door. It was usually people trying to sell them something, religious groups, or even people who wanted to promo-Endeavor but couldn't get in contact with him in person. After a few times of that happening, Todoroki got annoyed with answering the door.

That didn't apply for his sister though, she didn't live there anymore but Saturday afternoons when her brother was done training for the day and she wasn't teaching made for good visiting hours. She allowed two cups of tea to brew on the kitchen counter as she opened the door.

There stood All Might and Midoriya.

"Hello, All Might. I'm sorry, my father isn't home." She was confused, knowing that people weren't typically invited over unless there was some sort of celebration that Endeavor was actually proud of.

"Good afternoon," The skinny man responded politely, "actually, we aren't here for Endeavor. We were hoping to borrow young Todoroki for the rest of the weekend. Is he home?"

Fuyumi looked at who assumed was All Might's still recent student, examining him for a bit before looking back to the Champion. "He's working on some homework, but please, come inside. I'll make you two some tea."

The two took off their shoes as they entered the house, setting them on a mat that was off to the side were other shoes had been placed. "Shouto, we have guests." She announced.

"What do you mean we have guests? We never have guests." Shouto had to raise his voice as he replied in order to be heard.

"Your boyfriend Midoriya is here," she responded, looking at the freckled boy, "you are Midoriya, right?" The second part was much softer than when she was calling out to her brother.

Midoriya nodded, face red as being referred to as Shouto's boyfriend. Soon there was a thud from the dining room. Fuyumi found herself holding back at small giggle as she pointed their guests to the dining room while she returned to the kitchen.

Shouto had dropped the book, and with it being a hard cover, made the semi-loud thud on the table. He wasn't mentally prepared to face anyone today. Hell, he hadn't seen Midoriya since that night he slept over, and that was a month ago. He hadn't even responded to the boys messages because he didn't know what to say. It was safe to assume he was anxious, very anxious.

But soon enough, All Might and Midoriya entered the dining room. No words had to be spoken, Shouto gestured them to sit at the table with him. He was too nervous and awkward to say a basic greeting however, so he tried to find his spot in the book so he could at least mark where he was.

"Hey Todoroki," Midoriya grabbed his attention, "sorry for coming by unexpected." He gave him a sheepish smile. "You weren't responding to my messages, and I got kind of worried."

"It's fine." He marked his page before closing the book and his notes. "You are here to check up on me then?"

"No and yes, actually, I-we were hoping that you'd join us this weekend. We could do some training together, talk strategies, get you out of the house and y'know, hang out." There was a smile on his face, there was almost always a smile on that face.

Fuyumi returned before Shouto responded, setting two cups of tea in front of their guests then one of herself and her brother. She also put a small bowl of sugar and honey on the table with tea spoons at the sides so that everyone could help themselves to however much they wanted. She sat next to her brother then, "Help yourselves, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

They both thanked her.

"You know, Midoriya, Shouto has been telling me about you. I am glad that I am getting the chance to meet you, I thought it would be much further down the line." She had a small smile, nowhere near as bright the freckled boy's, but it was gentle.  
  
"Todoroki talks about me?" From what he had gathered so far, Shouto hadn't really mentioned him to anyone until he's suddenly meeting them.

"To me, yes." She looked over at All Might, "he mentions you too."

"Oh, does he now? What does he have to say about us?" He asked in curiosity, knowing that his student would've ended up asking the same question at some point anyway.

Shouto wasn't fond of this, so he spoke before his sister could. "Yeah, I'll go with you two." He reverted back to the earlier conversation while giving his sister a look to be quiet. Which she responded with a light-hearted eye roll.

It made Midoriya really happy nonetheless, there it went back to a very bright and radiating smile.

"I guess I will inform father of your whereabouts?" Fuyumi asked, her brother nodding. "Be sure to tell me how it goes, and have fun, okay?" Another nod going her way.

"I have a question," Midoriya stated to get their attention, "well, two. Are you Todoroki's older sister?" He knew of the Endeavor family, again, mostly from television and articles about the Champion. She gave a nod. "This question may be a bit personal, so don't feel like you have to answer it or anything but..what is Todoroki like at home?"

Shouto didn't like that question. Fuyumi wondered what the other boy knew to cause such a question, "Has something happened?" Worry was clear in her voice, she knew that her brother wasn't social or the most mentally stable person around, but all she ever gathered was that he was awkward, anxious, and often times bottled up emotions (which wasn't good, she knew).

Midoriya looked from Fuyumi to Shouto then back to her, hesitant to answer that question if she hadn't already known. "I was just curious." It was a lie, everyone in the room knew it wasn't just that, but this wasn't All Might's place to speak, and Shouto didn't plan on saying anything that would upset his sister.

"I'll go get ready," Shouto said, dismissing himself. He barely touched his tea as he left.

That left three of them to chat with one another while the other boy was getting ready. They decided to keep light topics, All Might talked briefly about different regions he's been to, Fuyumi shared her teaching experience and how her Pokemon, a Froslass (originally gifted as a Snorunt from her mom), assists her, meanwhile Midoriya would pitch in with what he was excited for in the future.

 

 

There wasn't much for Shouto to gather, he put a few items in his bag that generally for safety measures, a change for clothes since he assumed _the weekend_ meant he'd be spending the night and other little things like that. He also switched from his normal clothes into a pair of training ones that were fire and water resistant. He made his way out back after that where Miyuki and Kosuke were spending their time.  
  
The two were laying in the grass, Miyuki was laying under some shade that ended right were Kosuke was laying next to him, making the fire fox open and taking in the sunlight. They had endured training with Endeavor earlier in the morning, it was weekend routine to wake up and immediately get started so it wasn't surprising that they were using the time to relax.

Both their ears perked up, alert at their trainer's presence as he made his way over to them. Shouto knelt down, offering a hand to Kosuke. They had a strange way of connecting, it wasn't as open and free as it was between Miyuki. Endeavor, Shouto and Kosuke were all at fault though, one couldn't pin the blame entirely on one individual. By holding out his hand, he was asking his Pokemon permission to pet him.

It was true that for the most part Kosuke stayed in a Poke-Ball, some of which was his trainer being unsure or his own self-conflicting issues and thoughts but the fire fox also chose to go and stay in the Poke-Ball. As strange it sounds, he didn't like wondering around. To stay at home meant Endeavor, who Kosuke deemed a threat, not only to himself but nearly everyone in the house. To go outside meant he could be jumped by wild Pokemon, and once a fire starts, he isn't sure if he'd be able to end it before it spreads.

That was one of the main conflicts both trainer and Pokemon had, they were hesitant or even scared to use their fire which sounds silly since they were both born with these abilities, but the effect of such mistakes were very obvious to them. They have been obvious ever since their training began. It's always been this way. Though, the fire fox wouldn't always shy the use of fire if there wasn't much to burn.

Kosuke lifted his paw to put in his trainer hand, adding no pressure meant he was giving permission. Their hands parted and Shouto carefully started to pet the warm fur. "I know we've already done training today," he began, "but a couple of friends asked us to do some with them. I promise, it won't be like training with father. If either of you need a break, you can stop. They aren't going to push you to the point where everything hurts." He was trying his best to assure them. "Would you be willing to do that?"

On the outside Shouto was calm, but he was anxious. And it worsened when Kosuke narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical of what his trainer was saying. "Would you like to meet them before deciding?" The fire fox eased a little at the suggestion, not having to do anything more than stare for the message to get across. "I'll go get them."

With that, their trainer rose back to his feet and left them for a few minutes. The entire time Kosuke was on edge, though he presented himself in a similar calm demeanor that his trainer would. It was Miyuki's gentle nuzzle against his neck that allowed him to feel less tension. Another connection, they both found comfort in cooler gentle touches, and the icy fox was a wonderful source for both having watched Shouto's mom and sister.

When Shouto returned, he came back with All Might and Midoriya. Miyuki's tails happily started to sway at the sight. Though it left Kosuke largely confused, he'd met the very skinny man before though they've never trained together. And Midoriya was a new face entirely. His ears went back in wariness as he examined the boy with messy green hair. It made him come to the assumption that the boy had some sort of plant related quirk, not knowing he was quirkless.

"Midoriya, this is Kosuke." Shouto said, his gaze going from the freckled boy over to the fire fox. "Kosuke, this is Midoriya. He's All Might's student."

The fox stared for awhile, watching as the new boy excited greeted him with a smile on his face. That..confused him. He got up, cautiously stepping toward the boy and sniffing him. He assumed the boy picked up on his hesitant behavior, because he didn't try to pet him or make any fast movements, instead he talked. "It's okay if you don't trust me, we just met after all. But I am glad to finally meet you, Todoroki has mentioned you before. I'm guessing he hasn't mention me to you, huh?"  
Kosuke lifted his head to look up at him. His trainer mentioned me? He always thought his trainer kept him secret until battles began.

"Would you like to meet my team? It's only two, just like how it's only you and Miyuki. I hope to meet the rest of my team when I can go on a journey." He explained, as he got out his Poke-Balls. He waited for an okay from the fire fox before releasing Mighty and Thorn-Bud.

Shouto watched as Kosuke interacted with the two Pokemon presented to him. It made him wonder what they could be talking about, his only keys were body language which were very expressive from Midoriya's team, but his fire fox wasn't so expressive besides subtle changes. Miyuki had been watching as well, he understood the length of what was going on but was primarily worried for Kosuke. He knew he could handle himself, but knowing he was stressed was enough to cause concern.

In the end, Kosuke agreed to work with them though he'd still be on edge. Shouto offered the Poke-Ball to him, a silent question as to whether or not he wanted to be in it. The fire fox pressed his nose against the button, allowing himself to be sealed away into the red-and-white orb. The other fox rose from where he was laying to join at his owner's side, he wasn't much for being in a Poke-Ball, so there was no need to ask. And if he did want to be put in one, he would simply request it.

* * *

  
They departed from the Todoroki residence, allowing the Champion to lead them to a battle field. Areas were often set up for such activities, it was to encourage safer outcomes. The chances of forest fires, hoard attacks, and being prey were very high and it wasn't uncommon for a predator to wait for trainers to weaken each other before striking. Those were issues for another day however.

During their walk, it was mostly Midoriya chattering away as it usually was. Though, All Might was more than willing to hold the conversation, pondering the thoughts before sharing what he either knew or how he became curious to know. The topics varied, and Todoroki found himself weaving in and out of them. He never shared too much. A thought did come to mind however, a very random one at that. "Midoriya, why haven't you evolved Thorn-Bud into a Roserade?" It would've been easy: give the Roselia the stone, and the evolution itself would increase the Pokemon's overall strength.

"Huh?" The freckled boy cut himself cut, having been in his own rambling thoughts while talking them aloud to All Might. It took him a minute to process what was said to him, "To do that I need a shiny stone, which I uh..don't have. They are rather expensive in stores..and to find them in a wild is kind of hard too. You'd think something so shiny would be easy to find."

"I could get you one." He offered, "or I suppose All Might could."  
"No, no, it's fine! Really! Honestly, I would like to find one on my own. It'd be more meaning to me, y'know? Then I could say that I was the one to find it, and that I rightfully earned it. It doesn't seem fair to have everything handed to me all the time without any effort, not that accepting other's offers is a bad thing or anything! It just..wouldn't feel as personal..?" As he explained himself, Todoroki was nodding along. He understood, so he didn't question it further.

 

 

Upon arriving at one of many battle fields, All Might instantly directed both of them to choose a side of the court. "You two will be battling each other today. I'm aware that young Todoroki has the advantage, so Midoriya, today's training consists of playing against your odds. Not every battle will be fair, you will run into people that are stronger than you, that play dirty by involving their quirks, or simply have a bigger team than your own.

  
In profession gym battles, the use of a quirk isn't permitted. But wild battles do not have to follow these rules, and those looking to cause harm are not going to hold back. So the rules are as follows: One. This is a public battle field, therefore the fight is going to stay on this court. Two. This fight will be a double battle, so not only is teamwork important between yourself and your Pokemon, but your Pokemon have to work with one another. Three. Todoroki will be allowed to use his quirk to assist his team, however, he is not permitted to join the fight. He is strictly for assistance for the time being. Four. There are three ways to win, knock out Todoroki's team, flee, or keep the match going until help arrives. I'll set a timer for ten minutes. Am I understood?" The boys nod. "Good. If I think the fight is getting too violent, I will bring an end to it. Now ready yourselves. I'll tell you when you can begin."

At one end of the court Midoriya stood, Mighty and Thorn-Bud now in front of him, standing tall and ready. And at the other end was Todoroki, Miyuki holding himself in a more prideful and graceful manor while Kosuke was in a stance of attack, teeth bare and letting out an intimating snarl. The very moment All Might said go, the first attacks from both sides were demanded.

The different between the two being Midoriya had to yell out his commands, while Todoroki did not. (At least not with Miyuki)

"Thorn-Bud, toxic spike!"

An arrangement of poisonous spikes spread across the opposing field, meanwhile Miyuki created a mist that cloaked the entire court. Therefore, making attacks difficult from both ends. Not only could the Pokemon not see each other, but for Midoriya's team to get closer meant they were also at risk of the spikes.

Todoroki didn't give orders as Kosuke knelt himself very close to the ground, blowing out the smallest embers he could manage at the spikes to rid of them in his path without directly touching them. Meanwhile Miyuki stayed stationary, listening to the voice inside his head that he knew came from his owner.

"Petal Blizzard. Mighty, assist with fairy wind."

A summoning of petals quickly took form, and with the assist of the directed winds made them all the faster. Not only was it an attempt to deal damage, but to blow away the mist that surrounded them all while forcing the remaining spikes to hurl into the foxes seeing that they weren't going to risk the possible contact. Before the petals got too close and the wind picked up strong enough to move the spikes, a giant ice wall formed a protective barrier. A barrier that Todoroki had provided. Though, the overall quickness of it was enough to make the mist retreat.

Midoriya was analyzing at it all took place, Todoroki was playing defensively. And with an ice wall splitting up the two teams, it was a possible chance to flee that he was about to take until the wall suddenly collapsed and a burst of flames came hurdling straight towards them. "Protect!" He yelled as both his Pokemon created shields around themselves just in time before the flames consumed them.

But it didn't end there, Kosuke was being offensive. With or without orders. It was obvious that the use of flamethrower was intentional, but the sudden flame charge came without warning. The fire fox completely consumed by flames slammed into the body of the Roselia. If Thorn-Bud had the ability of poison point, there might've been an upside to the physical attack however slight. But that wasn't the case

Thorn-Bud was both blasted back and now held burns that the thorn Pokemon had to actively put out. Midoriya had to be fast, "Mighty, grab him and use shadow ball!" Immediately the ribbons wrapped around the fire fox's muzzle, pulling him to face the Sylveon as a shadow ball came in direct contact with Kosuke's face.

The shock of such an attack was enough to stall the fox, if only the other one wasn't there to make an appearance. Miyuki had no hesitation as he bit into the connecting ribbon, the start of frost breath making the bite dreadfully cold and even freezing a decent fraction of the ribbon as he proceed to yank back until the ribbons unravel. Most other attacks would've hit Kosuke too for as all as the two were in contact, so it was important that their contact was broken.

With both foxes at such close range, and Thorn-Bud finally up to move again despite the singed petals, Midoriya practically spit out a command. Roselia proceeded to flings toxic at the icy fox, creating for a nasty hiss as he let go of the ribbon and took a step back to shake the poisons off his body.

It did little to help however, the affects were fast as the uncomfortable stinging sensation settled into Miyuki. This was one of the advantages that Midoriya did have, poison against an ice-fairy was effective.

Todoroki shouted a command at Kosuke, but the fire fox didn't seem to agree. Instead, he prepared for a fire blast. It made the trainer's heart stop, Miyuki would get damaged in the attack as well. He attempted to yell stop, but he was ignored. So in a desperate attempt to protect Miyuki, and Thorn-Bud from receiving far too much damage, he created a dome of ice around Kosuke.

As the blast happened, the dome instantly evaporated, leaving steam to float up into the air. The surrounding Pokemon was greeted with heat that resembled that of near-boiling water, and without such dome that heat would've been much more intense.

The mixture of heat and the lingering poison was starting to get to Miyuki's senses more heavily, panting heavily in an attempt to regain himself. With another issues ordered, that this time Kosuke complied to, Miyuki was given the chance to retreat from the close range. Only able to watch as Kosuke's tails laced themselves in steel and came in contact with Mighty.

Thorn-Bud, who was slow due to the burnt damages, continued to do as directed. A toss of seeds that leeched themselves into the Ninetale's fur, draining a bit of the energy the fox still had though it wasn't nearly enough to keep him functioning properly.

Kosuke was physical and fast, that much he learned against Endeavor's Incineroar. So taking on two Pokemon where he had the upper hand while Miyuki got tended to wasn't too much of a hassle, though he was tired. The seeds that attached themselves against him he burnt away, shifting his attention away from the Sylveon to the Roselia and with one last use of ember against the already slow and burnt plant was enough to put it out of commission. That left Mighty to remain.

Todoroki had rushed up to the icy fox, removing his bag from his shoulder as he made his way. He knelt onto the ground and got out some antidote spray that he sprits against the cool fur and rubbed it in. Chances like that weren't common place in battles, so that he even had the opportunity was shocking despite the battle being part of training.

When he looked up he saw that Thorn-Bud was down, thankfully it didn't look the finish was too rough. Then again, All Might he would have stopped their battle if he thought it was out of hand. It made him wonder why he hadn't stopped it earlier when Kosuke nearly severely damaged the Roselia while also harming two other Pokemon. Did he expect him to stop the attack that he didn't even direct the fox to do?

Now wasn't the time to think about it too much, Kosuke was taking over Mighty all by himself. And he knew for a fact that the Sylveon had more training than Midoriya's other Pokemon. That much was obvious by the way Mighty would use his ribbons as a boost to get around and dodge as much fire attacks as he possibly could.

Just as Todoroki went to issue an attack, Mighty was suddenly directly in front of Kosuke, placing a kiss on the golden fur.

_Draining kiss._

As quickly as the peck happened, the small fairy was off with more energy that he had a moment ago. It was clear that the current strategy was like a game of tag. Miyuki played tag with them a lot from what he was told. Midoriya was trying to make the timer go off while slowly sapping energy from Kosuke while his teammate wasn't active.

It was time to end their little game. Todoroki created a wall of ice in the direction that Mighty propelled himself, causing for the bundle of ribbon to halt and quickly change direction. But before he could get away the same steel laced tails from earlier made contact with the smaller, slamming Might against the icy wall.

That was enough to end their fight.

Todoroki was too far away to hear Midoriya's mumbles, he got up from his position and ran over to Kosuke. The fire fox was quick to make himself appear calm, but he was very much on edge, ready to attack if he so much as saw something move. At least, that was how it seemed.

  
The freckled boy had returned both Pokemon to their Poke-Balls before proceeding to tell them how great they did in battle despite the fact that they lost. He even went into his favorite parts of the match that made him the most proud.

Whereas Kosuke, looking exhausted from a mixture of the morning's training and now, made his way over to Todoroki. A silent request to be put back into the Poke-Ball. It made him sigh, "Kosuke, when we have battles you can't just ignore me like that or go off on your own." That was an issue. It had been an issue for awhile, one that his father tried to harp on. But it was no good under his training, no matter how hard he pushed them, it always fell through. "Father is right. We need to work together."

The mention of Endeavor made the fire fox's ears go back, "But you are impressive. We'll work on it." With that he pressed the button against the fox and allowed it to once again be consumed into the red-and-white ball. He wished he could be more encouraging, but didn't know how. He didn't think Kosuke knew either.

Miyuki got up, making his way to Todoroki's side and rubbed his head against his hand. He understood the request, running his fingers through his mane.

All Might had been watching quietly the entire time, a smile on his face. He smiled a lot like his comic book self did despite the fact that the bodies were different. It felt the same. "You both still have much to learn. If you wouldn't mind Todoroki, my boy, I would like to borrow you for future training as well. It seems like the training you do with your father isn't helping with Kosuke's obedience?"

He nodded in response. "That's fine."

"As for you, young Midoriya, I'm going to remake your training schedule based on today's performance. I want you to switch to it immediately. Tomorrow we'll have another scrimmage, but that's all for today. Come." The man gestured them to follow, and they did. This time not going to Midoriya's house, but instead going to the Champion's.

 

 

  
It appeared that the skinny man lives rather far from the city, instead surrounded by nature and trees. At first it was shocking, but knowing that the man often liked to help others, places where there are higher risks of attacks on travelers makes sense. The city had plenty of issues as well, but there were more trainers stationed there, more supporter that comes to aid a lot faster. Whereas in forests, mountains, caves and lakes, there wasn't as much quick assist if needed.

Along their walk, the freckled boy did as he does best, talking enough for an entire family. He was praising their Pokemon, believing that they could hear from within the orbs that protect them. It wasn't proven for certain, but that didn't stop him from talking. Of course, he complimented his friend as well.

Once at the man's home, he brought them inside and took their Poke-Balls in order to heal the exhausted teams. That meant Miyuki had to be put into a ball as well despite not wanting to. "Feel free to take a long around, I know it's not much but I enjoy living here. And if you decide to go outside, don't stray too far. I wouldn't want anyone getting hurt." The way he spoke sounded that of how a parent would speak, as though the next thing he were going to say was for them to not be late for dinner.

The overall building was only one story with standard rooms one would find in nearly every home, then two spare rooms that seemed to be open to travelers. Despite the wealth that All Might certainly had, he didn't have too much decoration. A sofa that fit no more than two people, a rectangular coffee table and a flat-screen tv were all the existed in the living room, the kitchen was seemingly more basic besides the type of silverware and dishes which were relatively elaborate.

Both boys assumed most of the personal decor was in his room, but they figured to explore there without permission would be rude. Though, the freckled boy was admittedly curious, he didn't want to ask. Instead they took to the spare rooms, "I think we should share a room, both rooms have two bed." He said, placing his bag on one of them.

Todoroki set his bag on the other bed, "Any reason why?" He asked, knowing the answer already.

"Well, uh, I want to make sure you are okay. You haven't answered my texts ever since your stay at my house, I was worried I did something wrong or made you uncomfortable..or maybe your father got mad at you for staying the night without asking permission first." There was an unsaid, _I am worried about you freezing yourself_ , that was hidden within the list of concerns. "We're friends, so I want you to know that it is okay to talk to me and reach out to me. You don't have to tell me everything if you don't want to, I won't make you talk to me if you are uncomfortable. Just..know that the option is there. Okay?" He gave him a sad, worried filled smile. "By the way, I'm sorry that I hinted at it when talking to your sister. It must've made you really uncomfortable, and I should have thought about that before speaking and-"

"Midoriya." He cut him off. "It's okay. I'm not upset with you. I understand that you have good intentions, and I appreciate your concern. I'm sorry for not responding to you," his voice grew progressively more quiet as he continued to speak. "I didn't know how."

There was a bit of relief that washed over the freckled boy, glad that the other wasn't upset with him but he still held onto his worries. He started to gently chew his lower lip in thought before speaking again, "You weren't sure how the conversation was going to go. Is..is that a safe assumption?"

Todoroki nodded slowly, he had words on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't share them. Instead he replied with, "It's silly, I know. I shouldn't have avoided talking to you." He was trying to be open, a cautious tiptoe instead of allowing himself to come undone. They've been talking for quite a while now, and Midoriya has never pushed him or rubbed him too much in the wrong way. So it was safe to step a little of bounds, right?

"It's not silly, I understand. When I was younger, I thought that being upset when I got bullied was embarrassing, so I decided not to tell my mom about it until a few years later. I know it's not the same thing, and I'm not trying to compare our lives or anything.. I just..I need you to know that your emotions aren't silly, that they are important no matter how insignificant they might seem and that it is okay to express those feelings. It's hard, I know, and you've probably heard this multiple times before, but it isn't good to keep things bottled up." He was nibbling at his lower lip again, hands connected as he fiddled with his thumbs. He was worried, and very nervous. Nervous that he messed up his wording, that he was causing his friend stress or anxiety, or even pushing him further away without meaning to.

"No. I haven't heard that before." He responded after a bit of silence, "I've read online but no one has ever said it to me directly." His throat kind of burned. "I don't have these types of conversations with people. It burdens them, makes them uncomfortable or upset, so I don't bother."

"You're not a burden." Midoriya stated confidently, that was something he needed his friend to be sure of.

It recieved what was close to a dry huffed out laugh, "But I am, to my father, my mother, my siblings..even my Pokemon. I don't think anything could change that, no matter how hard I try to think differently."

"Todoroki," he said softly, "you aren't happy at home, are you?" The other slowly shook his head. "Is your dad worried at all?"

  
"No. My father doesn't believe mental illness exists, says it's a childish excuse in order to get out of work and that it is all made up. He doesn't think emotions are important either, they are just distractions that get in the way of progress." He didn't mean to share that much, it was barely tipping the waters, but somehow he thought that that was too much. That somehow his father could hear their conversation, despite being nowhere in sight, and was yelling at him. Yelling at him that he was burdening this poor boy, that he was being over dramatic and ungrateful for what he has. "C-can..can we stop talking about this..?" He felt the emotions bubbling against the surface, and despite what was being said, he couldn't bring himself to allow it to topple over.

"Yeah...we can stop." It wasn't hard to see Todoroki was dancing on a thin line trying to keep himself steady, and if he didn't want to fall on Midoriya, it was okay. He wasn't going to make him step off that line, that wasn't his choice to make. He knew that he'll talk when he was ready to, and whenever that day came, he'd be there for him all the way. For now, he wanted to ease his friend to a better stand. "May I hug you?"

A nod followed, and the freckled boy quietly stepped over to him, wrapping his arms around his waist and gently resting is head against the other's chest. The dual haired boy followed, returning the comfortable embrace.

It was strange, Todoroki thought, that despite all the voices in his head telling him that he was undeserving, worthless, pathetic, etc. They were muffled to mere white-noise while his friends arms were draped around him. A warm fuzzy sensation that settled into him, with his heart slightly fluttering against his ribcage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This parts the end of the beginning, if that makes sense. I hope to make follow up segments as part of a series but I wanted to get a basis done and see how it turns out.
> 
> So let me know what you think! And if you have suggestions or want to talk about the story, I'm Arashi-Rain on Tumblr. 
> 
> Thank you all for your kudos, comments/feedback, etc. I hope you could enjoy.

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoyed the thought of giving them Pokemon, so I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did writing it. The next chapter is much more eventful, I assure you.
> 
> Thank you in advance.


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